A US-returned entrepreneur, Reddy won the Chevella Lok Sabha seat in 2014 on a Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) ticket. He lost the seat in 2019 as a Congress candidate. Reddy is again contesting the 2024 elections from Chevella seat, on a BJP ticket.
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Reddy, who has a master's degree in engineering from the United States, comes from an illustrious Telangana family. The state's Rangareddy district, part of Chevella constituency, is named after his grandfather Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy, the first deputy chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh.
His father Konda Madhava Reddy was a former Chief Justice of the High Courts of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. He is married to Sangitha Reddy, daughter of Dr. Pratap C Reddy, Founder and Chairman of Apollo Hospitals. Sangitha owns most of the family wealth ₹ 3,208 crore, according to the election affidavit filed by Reddy.
Reddy is pitted against Congress Party Member of Parliament (MP) G. Ranjith Reddy (assets ₹435 crore) and Kasani Gnaneshwar Mudiraj of BRS (assets ₹228 crore) in Chevella, where voting will take place on May 13 along with other Telangana seats in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
In an exclusive interview with LiveMint, Reddy talks about his third contest in Chevella, his switches between all three parties, the role of money and why Telangana is key to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mission to the south. Excerpts from the edited interview:
You won the 2014 Lok Sabha election as a BRS candidate. You participated in the 2019 elections as a candidate for Congress. Why did you leave these two parties?
The BRS and Congress have misled Telangana. While the BRS has deviated from the ideals of Telangana agitation and focused solely on enriching a single family, the Congress party in the last two terms has enabled the BRS's misrule by strengthening it by sending its MLAs ( flowing over to the BRS).
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Even today, there is not much difference after Congress came to power in the state. Like the BRS, Congress has misled Telangana by making false promises and focusing solely on corruption.
Now you have chosen the BJP. Why?
The BJP, on the other hand, is the only party driven by an agenda to strengthen India and not enrich a single family and perpetuate family rule. India rose from the tenth to the fifth largest economy in the world during Prime Minister Modi's two terms.
Today we are the fastest growing major economy in the world. During the same time, 25 crore Indians were lifted out of multi-dimensional poverty. From scrapping Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir to decimating left-wing extremism and terrorism, it has made the country more integrated and secure than ever.
At the same time, the BJP is the only party that has a vision and a plan for the future: to make India the third largest economy by the next term and a developed country by 2047. I have immense confidence in the Prime Minister's leadership. Narendra Modi and believe that the BJP is the only party that can make the goal of a developed India possible soon.
How does it help your Chevella constituency?
Chevella hosts the IT and financial centers in Telangana. Chevella is a growth engine for Hyderabad and therefore also for India. This is a time to focus on rapid development, taking advantage of the demographic dividend given to us.
I believe Chevella can benefit and contribute a lot if the agenda is growth – which is at the core of BJP and Prime Minister Modi's agenda.
Are you the richest candidate of the BJP yet? What role do you think money plays in politics, especially in Telangana?
The influence of money and liquor in elections was minimal in Telangana until 2014. Only after the BRS came to power did the influence of money grow enormously. This was the result of the corruption resorted to by the BRS leaders at every level. In these elections the power of money and drink is diminishing. Voters have sent a strong message by throwing out BRS in the recent parliamentary elections, despite BRS spending huge sums – perhaps the highest in the country per constituency.
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People love the BJP government and Prime Minister Modi's track record of development, welfare, security and stability. The opposition does not even have a common program or a common leader. All they have to offer is Modi hatred. Voters see this election as a battle between Modi and his record, versus hatred of Modi.
You have returned from the US and started working in your area. Can you name some of your achievements?
I started the 'Swachh Truck' initiative to clean toilets in nearly 90 schools in my constituency. My trucks clean school toilets in rural areas of the constituency every day. This will benefit the girl child immensely. I have personally cleaned toilets in these schools. That is something I will always be proud of. Whenever a central minister comes to visit, I take my team to meet them. The idea is to make clear what Mahatma Gandhi tried to promote throughout his life: the dignity of labor and the importance of cleanliness and sanitation.
BJP is trying to make inroads in the southern states. How important is Telangana for BJP's fortunes in the South?
After Karnataka, Telangana will soon be the second state to have a BJP government. After Karnataka, Telangana will be the second state where the BJP will win the highest number of seats in the state even in these elections. We will see tremendous growth in vote share across the South and overall gain a significant number of seats from the Southern states.
The North-South division that Rahul Gandhi and the opposition insist on will be proven wrong by the electorate. The performance of the BJP in Telangana is crucial to break the treacherous and divisive campaign of the INDIA block leaders.
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Published: May 09, 2024 11:06 AM IST