Telangana State Home Minister N Narasimha Reddy’s revelation that he was unable to secure an appointment with the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for many days has created ripples in the political circles.
It is believed that the Chief Minister was avoiding meeting his senior Cabinet colleague as latter was likely to demand a ticket from his home constituency Musheerabad either for himself or for his son in law.
Narasimha Reddy is presently a member of Legislative Council and holds the Home portfolio in the cabinet for the past four years.
Though he was elected to the State Assembly from Musheerabad constituency in the past, KCR had not given him party ticket in 2014 saying it would be embarrassing for him and the party if he were defeated. Eventually K Lakshman of BJP was elected from the constituency. Fact that Narasimha Reddy was unable to meet the CM was revealed by Reddy himself when one of his supporters expressed surprise why he was not included in first list of candidates when he was so closed to the CM.
“What close to him? I am supposed to be close to him but I am not even getting an appointment to meet him”, he told his supporters in Musheerabad.
Not leaving the matter there the 77 year old leader also revealed that in 2014 KCR had offered him ticket from LB Nagar, another constituency in Hyderabad but he refused as he lacked the resource to take on strong Congress candidate D Sudheer Reddy.
On this KCR assured him that the party will fund his election campaign and was willing to spend as much as Rs 10 crore.
However Narasimha Reddy did not contest from LB Nagar and there also the BJP candidate NVS Prabhakar won. Later keeping him promise KCR made Reddy a MLC and inducted him into cabinet.
Reddy’s comment that KCR had offered him Rs 10 crore for elections has created a stir in the political circles. State Congress working president A Revanth Reddy has demanded the election authorities to take suo moto action and book a case against KCR.
However Narasimha Reddy has sought to backtrack from his remarks. “That was a slip of tongue. Instead of Rs 5 to 10 lakhs, I wrongly said Rs 10 crore”, he said lashing out at Revanth Reddy for blowing it out of proportion. “Revanth Reddy is a petty man”, he said. “I was talking about the last elections and he is distorting it to mean the coming elections”, he added.