KARIMNAGAR: Union minister of state for home affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar called Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy a “rubber stamp” leader unable to take independent decisions. Sanjay Kumar accused the Congress of eroding the state’s autonomy by interfering in key administrative decisions.
During the briefing, Sanjay Kumar questioned the involvement of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in state affairs, specifically highlighting that AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan was overseeing reviews of the state’s ministerial committees. He also expressed disbelief over remarks by PCC president Revanth Reddy, who had indicated that the AICC would have the final say on Cabinet expansions in Telangana. “Is it the AICC’s prerogative to decide who should be in the Cabinet? This is the Chief Minister’s authority. To have the AICC decide shows the total collapse of governance,” he asserted.
The minister’s comments coincided with the celebrations of the BJP’s foundation day. Sanjay Kumar, along with local party leaders, unveiled the party flag first at his residence and later at the Karimnagar district office. He greeted BJP workers and recalled the party’s 45-year legacy of overcoming challenges.
Highlighting the BJP’s meteoric rise as the world’s largest political party with over 180 million members, Sanjay Kumar drew contrasts between the BJP-led Central government and the state administration in Telangana. He cited key achievements such as the successful Pokhran nuclear tests under former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the expansion of national highways under the Swarn Chaturbhuj scheme. The minister also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration for its economic reforms and welfare schemes, criticising the Telangana government for its mismanagement of Central government initiatives, particularly pointing out deficiencies in the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Sanjay Kumar further warned against a potential collaboration between the Congress and the BRS in the Hyderabad MLC elections. He accused the two parties of attempting to “hand over” the city to the Majlis party, drawing a sharp distinction between the BJP as a “nation-first” party and what he termed a “party of traitors.”