Revanth fires salvo at Modi on continuing as PM

 Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday fired a salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi (who will turn 75 this September) for seemingly holding on to the prime minister post despite the BJP’s ideological parent RSS’ insinuation that leaders (of the sangh pariwar) should demit office on attaining 75 years. The Chief Minister predicted that BJP will win not more than 150 Lok Sabha seats in the next General Election.

He was delivering a speech on ‘Constitutional Challenges - Perspectives and Pathways’ at a conference organized at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Saturday. The Chief Minister pointed out that Modi had been holding on to chief minister and prime minister chairs since 2001.

To months back, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat expressed the organisation’s considered opinion that leaders should demit office upon attaining 75 years. The Chief Minister went ballistic at Modi for overlooking the RSS’s viewpoint and choosing to remain in the PM chair. Revanth demanded to know why Modi was not relinquishing the PM post, though the age limit rule had been applied to senior BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.

Revanth Reddy contested BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's statement “without Modi, BJP will not get even 150 seats”. Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the Congress will register a resounding victory in the next general election and “BJP’s tally in the Lok Sabha will not cross 150”, Revanth observed.

Asserting that Rahul Gandhi will dethrone Modi from the PM chair in the next elections -- something that could not be done by RSS and former Prime Minister Vajpayee -- he said that Rahul, as ordinary worker of the Congress, had been fighting for the last 25 years for the uplift of the poor, Dalits, Adivasi as well as OBCs and securing for them social justice. The CM called upon all leaders within the Congress to fight strongly under Rahul Gandhi's leadership and protect the Constitution by defeating Modi. Referring to Telangana's success story in coming up with its unique Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC), Revanth Reddy said that achieving social justice for OBCs was a big challenge and only the Congress can fulfill the aspirations of the backward communities. During Bharat Jodo Yatra in Telangana, Rahul Gandhi had made the promise of coming up with the caste census. Telangana people opened the doors of "Mohabbat ki Dookan” and gave their mandate to the Congress in Telangana. Soon after coming to power, the “People's government” in Telangana conducted the caste census to provide 42 per cent BC quota in education, employment and political opportunities in local bodies. Caste Census meant rendering social justice to the backward communities, the Chief Minister underlined.

The Chief Minister took potshots at BJP leaders for repeatedly questioning the contribution of the Congress to the country.