KCR's popularity fast eroding, says Komatireddy Venkat Reddy

Hyderabad: Congress Deputy Legislature Party leader Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Friday scoffed at Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s claims of a survey report predicting that the Opposition will bag only seven to eight Assembly seats if elections were held now. Mr Reddy dared the CM to hold elections in Nalgonda immediately by seeking resignation of the MLAs who switched over to TRS. He said that if the TRS wins, he would not contest the 2019 elections.

Mr Reddy also predicted the CM’s defeat from Gajwel in the 2019 elections. “If the CM believes the survey report, he should ask the legislators who defected to the TRS to resign and face bypolls. If the TRS wins, I will not contest 2019 elections. The priority of any government should be education and health. But these sectors have been grossly neglected by CM. Colleges have gone on strike demanding fee reimbursement arrears while hospitals have stopped Aarogyasri services due to pending arrears. Students and patients are on the roads while the CM is resting at his farmhouse,” Mr Reddy told reporters.

He added that CM has funds to spend Rs 450 crore on publicity but none to pay Rs 350 crore Aarogyasri arrears. “All the funds meant for welfare schemes are being diverted to benefit AP contractors. During agitation, the CM talked about AP contractors looting Telangana money. But he has now paid over Rs 70,000 crore to AP contractors,” Mr Reddy alleged. He lashed out at CM for not sparing time to meet the general public or people’s representatives. “Even AP CMs used to conduct praja darbars regularly to meet citizens and address their grievances. But no one can meet KCR. I myself being a four-time MLA, resigned for minister post demanding Telangana state, have been seeking appointment of CM for the last four months,” he said.