Hyderabad, Feb 8 (IANS): Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K.T. Rama Rao on Saturday blamed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the BJP's victory in Delhi Assembly elections, drawing a backlash from the Congress.
In a sarcastic post on X, the former Telangana minister "congratulated" Rahul Gandhi over the BJP’s win.
"Congrats to Rahul Gandhi for winning the election for BJP, yet again! Well done," posted KTR, as the BRS leader is popularly known.
He was responding to a comment by his supporter, who had posted a video of KTR’s interview to a television channel during the Telangana Assembly elections 2023. The BRS leader had said that Congress under Rahul Gandhi can’t stop Telangana. He had stated that instead of fighting the BJP in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Rahul Gandhi was trying to defeat a force (BRS) which could stop the BJP.
KTR had called Rahul Gandhi the biggest ‘karyakarta’ and ‘asset’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He claimed that strong regional leaders like his father K.Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, and M.K. Stalin were holding off Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
KTR’s sarcastic post on the Delhi election results evoked a strong reaction from Congress leaders, who accused the BRS of "a secret understanding" with the BJP.
Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy told KTR that BRS should get the credit for the BJP’s rise in Telangana. "We, the Congress Party, are fighters - we never give up, and we always bounce back, just like we did in Telangana. We would have congratulated you on your spectacular achievement in the Parliament elections - delivering zero seats for your own party and gifting 8 seats to the BJP in Telangana. If there’s anyone who deserves credit for the BJP’s rise in the state, it’s you. Well done!" the Congress leader commented.
Telangana state General Secretary Kota Neelima hit back at KTR. "This is the inevitable future of BJP’s B Teams across the country, whether BRS or AAP. Dear KTR, everyone understands your anxiety," she said in her post on ‘X’
Rohin Reddy, Congress leader from Hyderabad, said the BRS should reflect on how it came down from 11 seats in the Lok Sabha to zero, and how its vote percentage dwindled to 15 per cent. "Gifting eight (8) Lok Sabha seats directly to BJP as part of a clandestine agreement, the BRS ensured it set a record (per capita) of losing even deposits in Parliamentary elections. Happy with such a performance, and now enjoying twitter analysis. Reflect on your total irrelevance. For a change, be a little honest," he advised KTR.