Published Apr 02, 2026 | 10:16 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 02, 2026 | 10:16 PM
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy addresses a campaign rally.
Synopsis: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has courted controversy by criticising Kerala’s ruling LDF while campaigning for the Congress ahead of the 9 April Assembly polls, and alleging that the Left bloc—which includes the Congress’s ally in Telangana, the CPI—and the BJP are acting in concert. His remarks have drawn criticism in Telangana from leaders of Left parties, who warned that such statements could damage opposition unity.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, while campaigning for the Congress ahead of the 9 April Kerala Assembly polls, has kicked up a controversy by launching a blistering attack on the state’s ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Addressing a campaign for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Nemom constituency on Wednesday, 1 April, Reddy warned against voting for the LDF—led by the CPI(M) and including the CPI, the Congress’s ally in Telangana—and said such a vote would effectively reach Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.
The Telangana Chief Minister adapted a popular dialogue from from the Mohanlal-starrer Narasimham for dramatic effect: “Your expiry date is over and you don’t have any time left. It is now the turn of the UDF,” as crowds cheered.
Reddy went further and alleged a “secret understanding” between the BJP, RSS and the CPI(M)-led LDF. “There is no difference between Pinarayi Vijayan and Narendra Modi,” he said. “Today, I appeal to the people of Kerala: if you vote for the LDF or Pinarayi Vijayan, your vote will reach Narendra Modi in Delhi.”
He accused the LDF of covertly helping the BJP and RSS gain a foothold in the state, while Congress governments in other states faced central agency probes.
Reddy’s remarks, made on the first of two days of campaigning in Kerala, have ignited a fierce backlash.
Telangana CPI state secretary and MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao strongly condemned the comments and warned they could damage opposition unity.
“We [Congress and CPI] are together in Telangana. Congress and Communists are together in the INDIA bloc. We have to fight against the BJP’s ideology,” Rao told reporters.
He said Revanth Reddy could criticise governance shortcomings in Kerala but should not attack the Left, as such barbs benefit the BJP and weaken the anti-BJP front nationwide.
Echoing this, Telangana CPI(M) secretary John Wesley called the Chief Minister’s statements “misleading and contradictory.”
Wesley recalled that Revanth Reddy had earlier referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his “big brother” during a visit to Telangana.
“Such statements show inconsistency and political opportunism,” he said, questioning the sudden U-turn for electoral gains in Kerala.
The BJP, quick to seize the moment, accused the Congress of rank hypocrisy.
“CM Revanth Anumula goes to Kerala to campaign against the Communists, while Congress and Communists remain allies in Telangana,” Telangana BJP chief N Ramchander Rao wrote in a post on X.
He called the Congress’s alignment with Communists in Telangana and its opposition to them in Kerala a clear case of opportunism.
