Hyderabad, Feb 9 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Telangana, A. Revanth Reddy, urged voters on Monday to steer clear of hate politics during the upcoming municipal elections scheduled for February 11. In a press conference, he launched a fierce critique against the BJP, accusing the party of divisive politics and fueling communal animosity.

Reddy claimed the BJP is utilizing leaders from certain parties, such as AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, as a 'political scarecrow' to garner votes.

He commented on the BJP's obsession with Owaisi, stating, “They profess their devotion to Lord Ram, yet they invoke Asaduddin Owaisi daily. Owaisi is their lifeline.”

He questioned why the BJP, if it views Owaisi as so ‘wicked,’ has not been able to rein him in while in power at the Centre.

“AIMIM is a legitimate political entity in our democracy. It has contested elections in various states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra. How long will the BJP leverage them as a phantom to win votes?” he asked.

The Congress leader labeled this tactic as indicative of the BJP’s political bankruptcy.

In reference to BJP president Nitin Nabin's speech during an election rally in Mahabubnagar, Reddy criticized him for soliciting votes by invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He recalled that Modi, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, visited Mahabubnagar, promising to grant national status to the Palamuru-Rangareddy project, a promise that remains unfulfilled even after three terms as Prime Minister.

Reddy expressed outrage over BJP leaders chanting Modi's slogans during the local election campaign, questioning, “What relevance does Modi have in a local election?”

He added that despite being in power at the Centre for 12 years, the BJP has failed to approve a single project for Telangana, yet its leaders expect people to vote for them based on PM Modi's reputation.

“They scrapped the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) project approved for Telangana. PM Modi pressured to relocate the semiconductor project from Telangana to Andhra Pradesh,” he stated.

Reddy also accused the BJP of showing biased treatment toward the southern states.

He claimed that for every rupee Telangana contributes in taxes, the Centre reimburses only 42 paise. In contrast, Karnataka receives 16 paise, Tamil Nadu gets 26 paise, and Kerala receives 49 paise, while Bihar gets Rs 6.16 for every rupee sent to the Centre. Madhya Pradesh receives Rs 2.09, and Uttar Pradesh gets Rs 2.90, he noted.

He questioned why Telangana's Central ministers, G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, never address the injustices faced by Telangana.

Reddy further accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of neglecting to take action for the return of Prabhakar Rao, the former chief of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) and a key figure in a phone-tapping case, for 20 months. He pointed out that Rao was only returned to India from the US following a directive from the Supreme Court.

He called on voters to reject both the BJP and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). He criticized the BRS for failing to deliver results after 10 years in power, yet still seeking votes.

Reddy slammed BRS president and former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) for not raising any public issues during Assembly sessions, despite holding the position of opposition leader.

“He has been receiving a salary and perks for 25-26 months, took on the role of opposition leader, and enjoyed Cabinet rank privileges, yet he has not once brought a public issue to the Assembly,” he remarked.

Reddy stated that other BRS leaders attending the Assembly were merely trying to disrupt the proceedings. He quipped that the way BRS leaders articulate their points publicly makes one wonder if they are under the influence of substances. “At times, I feel compelled to send an EAGLE team for a narco-analysis test on them.”