It has been over a year and a half since the Congress government assumed power in Telangana. During this period, numerous cabinet meetings, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) sessions, and Congress Legislative Party (CLP) gatherings have taken place. Yet, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had maintained a low profile regarding any dissatisfaction with his cabinet—until now.
During the Political Affairs Committee meeting of the Telangana PCC conducted on Tuesday, with AICC state affairs in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan present, Revanth candidly stated his dissatisfaction with the performance of his cabinet ministers. The meeting, with prominent ministers such as Bhatti Vikramarka, became the platform where Revanth could speak about issues that had been simmering under the surface for a long time.
Revanth showed grave concern regarding the ministers’ seeming lack of interest and responsiveness, particularly with local body elections drawing near. He said that the district in-charge ministers themselves were apathetic towards their jobs and exhibited little initiative towards solving grassroots issues. While noting the issues within the party at the grassroots level, he complained that he was the only one who seemed to be actively moving to address them.
The second key point of disagreement was the refusal of ministers to work together in filling nominated vacancies at mandal and constituency levels. Revanth stressed that such a failure to work together puts at risk the smooth operation of the government and asked if the administration could possibly achieve success if the ministers ran on individual agendas instead of as a collective team. He cautioned that without the support of working together, the party would have its chances for success in the all-important 2028 polls at serious jeopardy.
Interestingly enough, none of Revanth’s ministers are junior to him in the Congress party. Senior party leaders such as Komatireddy, Uttam Kumar Reddy, Ponguleti, Sridhar Babu, Bhatti Vikramarka, and Konda Surekha command significant strength within the party. Seethakka is the lone exception, as she had joined Congress along with Revanth after quitting the TDP.
Given these dynamics, Revanth’s earlier restraint in confronting internal factionalism was comprehensible. The tone at Tuesday’s meeting, however, heralded a clear break, with the Chief Minister firmly standing against party splits.
Revanth also targeted KCR, charging that he deliberately held up Telangana development projects. He charged that, along with Seemandhra leaders, KCR had neglected Telangana’s development, making it a “barren land.” Promising never to give up Telangana’s interests, Revanth reiterated his determination to develop the state.
He also explained that he shifted to Congress because of his commitment to the development of Telangana and not because of allegiance to Chandrababu Naidu. Revanth ended on a note that whoever crossed Telangana’s welfare would be punished.