The statements hold significance since some people associate Revanth Reddy with Naidu due to the former's affiliation to the TDP before joining Congress in 2018.
Published Jul 03, 2025 | 4:28 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 03, 2025 | 4:28 PM
File photo of MLA Anirudh Reddy. (Facebook)
Synopsis: Congress MLA Janampalli Anirudh Reddy stirred controversy by accusing Andhra contractors in Telangana of being covert allies of AP CM Naidu and suggested cutting their utilities to stop the Godavari-Banakacharla project. His remarks, seen as a veiled criticism of CM Revanth Reddy, follow his involvement in a case against Congress government, further embarrassing the state government.
Congress MLA from Jadcharla, Janampalli Anirudh Reddy, the odd man out in the ruling party, has stirred the hornet’s nest once again, offering an unusual piece of advice, albeit laced in sarcasm, on restraining Andhra Pradesh from going ahead with the construction of Godavari-Banakacharla Link Project.
Speaking at a meeting in Jadcharla, the MLA said that most of the contractors who are doing government works in Telangana are Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s coverts.
“They are here for money, they are present all over Telangana. They do irrigation projects, lay roads, and do contracts. If you cut water and power connections to them and put on hold their bills for irrigation works, they would bring pressure on Naidu. They will fall at his feet and persuade him to stop Banakacharla. Writing letters or holding talks with them will not work,” he said.
Later, speaking to media, he, however, did not take any names of the contractors or anyone in the Congress government. “You know who those contractors are. People know who they are. I do not have to spell out their names,” he said. But his statement had set off political ripples that could be perceived as indirectly embarrassing Revanth Reddy’s leadership.
His reference that “Naidu’s covert contractors” are influential in Telangana, particularly in securing irrigation projects and road contracts is stirring a political and public debate. The statements hold significance since some people associate Revanth Reddy with Naidu due to the former’s affiliation to the TDP before joining Congress in 2018.
Though Anirudh Reddy’s comments that cutting utility connections and payments to Andhra Pradesh contractors could stall the Banakacharla project could be interpreted by some as his critique of the Congress government’s handling of Telangana’s water rights. This could also indirectly cast a shadow on Revanth’s leadership by implying that Telangana’s interests are being compromised under his watch, especially on sensitive issues like the Polavaram-Banakacharla Link Project, which has been a point of contention between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
However, Revanth Reddy has been vocal about protecting Telangana’s interests in this issue, and has been saying that his government would not compromise on river water rights and would fight politically, technically, and legally against Andhra Pradesh’s plans.
On earlier occasions too, Anirudh Reddy had caused embarrassment to the state government. He was one of the four Congress MLAs who filed a petition in the High Court recently against the government, raising objections to the construction of eight towers of 47 floors each on 27 acres at Khajaguda in Hyderabad.
A Bench of acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara, on 16 June, asked the MLAs to submit a fresh representation to the government, incorporating specific details such as the exact survey numbers of the land in question, since they complained that HMDA had not acted on their earlier complaint.
The other three MLAs who were signatories to the PIL were Yennem Srinivasa Reddy (Mahabubnagar), Kuchakulla Rajeswar Reddy (Nagarkurnool), and Bhukya Murali Naik (Mahabubabad).
The petitioners sought the cancellation of all construction permissions, removal of the ready-mix plant located nearby, and a direction to the state to reclaim the land as government property. They argued that their move was not just about real estate, but protecting natural resources, preserving lakes, and upholding constitutional and environmental safeguards.
The petitioners said that the eight towers with a total plinth area of 50 lakh square feet were being built on the disputed government land and reportedly encroached on the full-tank level area of the Khajaguda Lake. They termed the lake a critical water body in the city’s ecological zone. They further alleged that a ready-mix concrete plant was established within 150 metres of Oakridge International School, in violation of environmental and zoning regulations. The plant, they said, polluted the environment and posed a health risk to schoolchildren.
In fact, on 2 February, a development rocked the political circles. A group of 10 Congress MLAs held a “secret meeting” to express discontent, particularly against a senior minister, who allegedly demanded a cut from contractors for clearing their bills. Though it was not against the chief minister per se, most of the MLAs were from Mahabubnagar, which is the home district of the chief minister. Interestingly, three of the four MLAs who filed the PIL also represent constituencies in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
