Statehood Martyr Srikantha Chary's Mother Joins Congress

Ironically, Shankaramma, then a TRS (BRS) candidate, had lost the 2014 Assembly election from Huzurnagar to Uttam Kumar Reddy. She later quit the BRS, alleging that she had faced injustice in the party and joined the Congress.

Shankaramma gave the credit to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for granting statehood to Telangana and acknowledging the sacrifice of her son Srikantha Chary. She urged everyone to vote for the Congress.

Srikantha Chary, a 29-year-old student, had died by suicide in November 2009 demanding statehood for Telangana. His martyrdom ignited the next phase of the agitation, forcing the then UPA government at the Centre to announce the commencement of the process for the creation of Telangana state on December 9, 2009.

Addressing a press conference, Reddy accused the BRS and BJP of deceiving the people to win the Lok Sabha elections. He said that although they had contested against each other, there was no personal animosity between him and Shankaramma. He said that with her joining the Congress, the presence of the BRS was near zero in Huzurnagar.

The minister pointed out that the BJP had not played any significant role in the formation of Telangana and did precious little for the state after its formation. Reddy asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi what the BJP-led NDA government had done for Telangana.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the BJP's plan to win 400 seats was to abolish reservations and amend the Constitution. He said that the fear of defeat had grown so intense that Modi had begun making statements that were unbecoming of a leader of his stature.

Uttam Kumar Reddy accused the BJP of seeking votes based on religious lines and warned that the divisive approach threatens the secular fabric of the nation. He urged the public to reject the BJP's politics of hate and support the Congress, the only secular party capable of challenging the BJP.