Don’t devalue yourself by criticising Sonia Gandhi, Jagga Reddy tells KCR

TPCC working president T Jagga Reddy addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement

Senior Congress leader and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president T. Jayaprakash Reddy questioned whether Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao still valued his own words, reminding him that he once described Sonia Gandhi as a “goddess”.

“You yourself acknowledged her role in Telangana’s formation and that it would not have been possible without her support. Now, you are diminishing your own value by calling Sonia and Rahul as duplicate Gandhis,” Mr.Reddy said, condemning Mr. Rao’s remarks made at the Warangal meeting as “unpalatable”.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday, Mr.Reddy demanded an unconditional apology from Mr. Rao. He also advised him not to stoop to such irresponsible and petty comments, especially after enjoying a decade of power thanks to the Gandhi family’s support.

The three-time MLA claimed that without the backing of the Congress high command, Mr.Rao’s hunger strike would not have succeeded. “I am just stating facts and not criticising,” he clarified. He also argued that the process of Telangana’s formation began only after Rahul Gandhi firmly advocated for it.

He said the only family in politics with ethics was the Gandhi family, and alleged that it was Mr.Rao who sent money bags to Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to strengthen his political network.