Telangana Congress leaders on Tuesday, 19 May launched a sharp counter-offensive against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Dharampuri Arvind after he suggested that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy could replicate what Suvendu Adhikari did — abandoning the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to join the BJP in 2020 — and potentially switch political allegiances. The Nizamabad MP's remarks drew an immediate and pointed rebuttal, with Congress leaders turning the spotlight on Arvind's own family political history.

What Arvind Said

Speaking on Monday, Arvind claimed that Revanth Reddy might have some understanding or connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drawing a parallel with how Suvendu Adhikari aligned with the BJP in West Bengal. The remark was framed around PM Modi's recent comments at a public event in Hyderabad, where Modi told Revanth Reddy — who had asked for the same assistance to Telangana that Gujarat received under the late Prime Minister Manmohan Singh — that accepting such a request would halve the assistance Telangana currently receives from the Centre.

Modi had said: 'Aap jahan pahunchna chahte hain, nahi pahunch payenge... achha hai ki mere se hi judo' (You may not reach where you want to reach... you should join me). Arvind interpreted this exchange as a signal of a possible political rapprochement.

Congress Hits Back

Congress leader and Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Addanki Dayakar dismissed Arvind's reading, saying the BJP MP 'lacks wisdom.' Dayakar argued that PM Modi's remarks were simply an appeal for collaborative development, not a political overture. He countered with a pointed question: 'Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has clearly announced that he wants to make Rahul Gandhi the country's Prime Minister. Will PM Modi join with Revanth Reddy in making Rahul Gandhi the PM?'

Dayakar further noted that Arvind has no political standing independent of his late father, Dharampuri Srinivas, a senior Congress leader, calling the MP a 'rented' leader who will never receive full recognition within the BJP. He also reminded Arvind that the BJP itself has made defectors — citing Suvendu Adhikari of West Bengal and Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam, both former Congress leaders — as Chief Ministers, undermining the original-leaders argument.

Welfare Minister Raises the Stakes

Telangana Welfare Minister Adluri Lakshman Kumar went further, strongly condemning what he described as 'inappropriate remarks' by Arvind against Revanth Reddy and the Congress leadership. He advised the BJP MP to focus on public issues rather than 'political mudslinging,' and warned that personal attacks on the Chief Minister would not be tolerated.

Lakshman Kumar also took strong exception to Arvind's remarks about Revanth Reddy's brothers, issuing a pointed counter-warning: 'If you speak about Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's brothers, should we not speak about the alleged excesses committed by your family in Nizamabad?' The minister reiterated that Arvind's own family began its political journey with the Congress.

The Broader Political Context

The exchange reflects the intensifying friction between the ruling Congress in Telangana and the BJP ahead of what is expected to be a competitive political cycle in the state. Revanth Reddy himself came to Congress from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a trajectory that the BJP has repeatedly sought to use as a credibility lever. Congress leaders, however, argue that the BJP's own track record of elevating turncoats to top posts neutralises that line of attack. Notably, this is not the first time Arvind's remarks have drawn a strong reaction from Congress leaders in the state, underscoring the escalating war of words between the two parties in Telangana.