Revanth Reddy, with limited political and administrative experience, is naturally fumbling. However, for someone who promised to govern for ten years and bring about change, these failures are highly undesirable and could prove costly.
Published Apr 08, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 08, 2025 | 9:00 AM
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy (X)
Synopsis: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s recent actions have drawn criticism from the public. He also seems unfamiliar with the social and cultural sensitivities of Telangana’s people. He needs to understand people’s sentiments and work accordingly.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s recent actions and words should, in the normal course, evoke anger in any right-thinking person. Instead, there is a sense of sympathy over how he — someone who exploited the anti-KCR (former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) sentiment and rode to power — is falling off the cliff in just over a year in office.
The present situation can be described in only one way: The Congress government has lost its plot.
Revanth Reddy’s approach towards the University of Hyderabad land issue is not only unfair but also disastrous, both politically and administratively. Knowing fully well that failure is imminent, he is not giving up his stubbornness, which is akin to a suicidal mindset.
If he had understood the spirit of the Supreme Court’s interim orders and the prevailing public sentiment, he would not have proposed shifting the central university to the fourth city — Future City.
A leader must understand what society thinks, what it objects to, and the issues to which it will respond strongly. The irony is that once a leader reaches the power corridors, the people, their desires and aspirations become worth ignoring.
A growing distance brings about a feeling of alienation. It leads to discomfort among the people. Great leaders have failed because they did not realise this truth.
Revanth Reddy, with limited political and administrative experience, is naturally fumbling. However, for someone who promised to govern for ten years and bring about change, these failures are highly undesirable and could prove costly.
The fundamental aspect that Revanth Reddy should realise is that he can no longer survive merely pointing to the mistakes of the KCR government. He is quickly accumulating new mistakes, which are bound to overshadow the past. Without even giving himself time for reflection, he continues to make similar decisions, giving scant respect to the feelings of the people.
From the beginning, the Telangana chief minister has tried to divert political discourse away from the failures of his government by constantly attacking the BRS and its leaders, and challenging the Opposition. This works for some time but not for long.
People’s patience has its limits. When, instead of welfare, the government takes actions that harm society under the guise of development, the public’s endurance wears thin.
A series of wrongdoings — the arrest of farmers who protested against the proposal to take over their lands for industries at Lagacherla, the havoc created in Hyderabad under the guise of HYDRAA (Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency), and now the attempt to auction University of Hyderabad (UoH) land — have made Revanth Reddy’s government appear guilty.
Within just 16 months, the new government’s ratings have plummeted dramatically.
The rivalry between Revanth Reddy and senior BRS leaders seems not just political but deeply personal. The arguments and counter-arguments between the two parties are intense, carrying a tone of personal animosity.
Revanth Reddy keeps trying to shift the focus from the current situation by constantly reminding people of BRS’s ten years in power. However, the suppression and illegal arrests happening under the Congress rule are loudly criticised by BRS.
The BRS’s strategy is based on the hope that sooner than later people will once again look forward to the KCR rule. Tragically, while being critical of BRS rule, the Congress government is mimicking the BRS governance.
Take, for example, the situation in Lagacherla. The government argues that BRS has no moral right to oppose what Revanth Reddy initiated there. The activists involved in the long-standing protests at Lagacherla did not appreciate BRS’s attempts to politicise their movement. They believed it would harm their legitimate protest.
Realising this, BRS stepped back. Revanth Reddy, however, hasn’t learnt any lessons from Lagacherla and came up with a UoH land auction proposal, inviting a similar resistance.
This is nothing but rubbing the people the wrong way. Being an inexperienced leader, Revanth Reddy is perhaps not realising that such an approach could backfire. He also seems unfamiliar with the social and cultural sensitivities of Telangana’s people — particularly the new consciousness and wisdom they gained during the statehood movement and after the state’s formation.
Revanth Reddy’s past association with TDP, anathema to Telangana, is also staying in public memory because the BRS constantly reminds people about it. Even his own actions — disregard for Telangana’s symbols and his lack of understanding about the movement — are not helping erase this image.
After witnessing the protests in Lagacherla, Revanth Reddy should have been able to predict the response to the central university issue. If he continues to antagonise universities, where will he find support among influential sections?
Some intellectuals who are friendly with the Congress government have already faced severe criticism.
This shows that the government’s failures are even diminishing the intellectual support for the ruling party.
Financially unfavourable conditions, as is the present situation, are certainly a disadvantage (the UoH lands auction is meant to raise resources). However, people are not responsible for this situation.
Political parties’ ideological bankruptcy grants voters temporary benefits. Welfare is necessary, but if there is no meaningful development, what about long-term, structural improvements in quality of life? To resolve this conundrum, creativity is needed.
The government should seek answers to the question: How can financial resources be expanded without burdening the people under the guise of development?
It is important to seek advice from experts and unbiased intellectuals and carefully consider their suggestions. Above all, the government must instil trust among the people by demonstrating that it is committed to their best interests.
The Congress government was formed with the support of a strong section of Telangana’s civil society. However, the chief minister failed to incorporate the ideals of civil society or the aspirations of the pro-democracy movement into his governance. He did not heed the advice or suggestions offered to him.
If the leadership ignores these cues, it will face risks at every step.
(The writer is a senior journalist and former editor of Andhra Jyothi, a Telugu daily. Views are personal. Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
