Published Jun 22, 2026 | 4:44 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 22, 2026 | 4:44 PM
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has been rubbing Rahul Gandhi the wrong way more than once recently. (X)
Synopsis: Revanth has embarrassed Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leaders more than once. And this is unlikely to be the last time he does so.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has provided yet another reason for the central leaders of Congress to be unhappy with his actions.
The latest is the inauguration of a road named after the US President Donald Trump, set for Tuesday, June 23. The road abutting the US consulate in Hyderabad is being renamed as the “Donald Trump Avenue”.
Revanth Reddy, along with industrialists and US government officials, is expected to participate in the event.
“The Congress central leadership, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, are clearly unhappy over what its party government in Telangana is doing,” a top AICC source told South First.
Ever since Trump assumed the US presidency, he unveiled policies which were clearly not in the interests of India, apart from his self-declared intervention in the India-Pakistan war.
Rahul Gandhi has since been continuously attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of surrendering to Trump at the cost of India’s interests.
In media briefings ahead of the inauguration of Trump Avenue, state government officials described it as a reflection of the close economic, technological and diplomatic ties between Hyderabad and the US.
This is not the first time that Revanth Reddy has been toeing a line completely at variance with the policies and principles espoused by Rahul Gandhi and it is unlikely to be the last.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the Telangana Chief Minister landed himself in an embarrassing situation after saying at a media conclave that Hitler was his inspiration for launching a special anti-encroachment agency called the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA).
AICC general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal publicly ticked off Revanth, describing the remarks as “unacceptable” and against the democratic Congress ideology.
In fact, the very concept of HYDRAA goes against the stated position of Rahul Gandhi, who has observed on more than one occasion that using bulldozers to bring down homes is illegal and wrong. Opposition parties in Telangana have alleged that HYDRAA has often pulled down the homes of the poor while sparing the rich and mighty among the encroachers.
On several other counts too, Revanth Reddy’s utterances and actions have raised hackles about his intentions in doing what he is doing.
Not long ago, he showered encomiums on the founder of Telugu Desam Party, late NT Rama Rao, and even praised the current Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. NTR founded Telugu Desam on the plank of anti-Congressism while Naidu is at present part of the NDA.
Revanth was also soft towards Gautam Adani, offering contracts to his companies even as India’s top industrialist remains the primary target of Rahul Gandhi, who often accuses Modi of encouraging crony capitalism.
Not only that. Revanth’s frequent visits to Delhi, his meetings with BJP leaders and ministers under the pretext of discussing pending state issues and the bonhomie he displays with Modi at meetings where they shared the dais have only fuelled suspicions about his intent in the eyes of the party leadership.
Old-time Congress leaders are comparing the current situation with what prevailed in united Andhra Pradesh during 2011-14. The then Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, throughout his tenure, publicly differed with the Congress central leadership’s decision to grant a separate state of Telangana. Yet, the high command did not act against him. When the state of Telangana was finally created and the two separate states went to the polls in 2014, the Congress was washed out in the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh and lost power even in Telangana.
(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
