Interview: Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, among BJP's wealthiest candidates, takes pride in cleaning Telangana school toilets

A US-returnee entrepreneur, Reddy, won the Chevella Lok Sabha seat successful 2014 connected a Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) ticket. He mislaid the spot successful 2019 arsenic a Congress candidate. Reddy is contesting the 2024 elections again from Chevella seat, connected a BJP ticket.

Also Read: PM Modi calls Telangana ‘Gateway for South India’ successful 2024 Lok Sabha polls rally

Reddy, who has a masters successful engineering from the United States, comes from an illustrious household of Telangana. The state’s Rangareddy district, portion of the Chevella constituency, is named aft his gramps Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy, the archetypal lawman Chief Minister of agreed Andhra Pradesh. 

His begetter Konda Madhava Reddy was erstwhile Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra High Courts. He is joined to Sangitha Reddy, girl of Dr Pratap C Reddy, Founder and Chairman of Apollo Hospitals. Sangitha owns bulk of the household wealthiness astatine ₹ 3,208 crore, arsenic per the predetermination affidavit filed by Reddy. 

Reddy is up against the Congress party's Member of Parliament (MP) G Ranjith Reddy (assets ₹435 crore) and BRS’s Kasani Gnaneshwar Mudiraj (assets ₹228 crore) successful Chevella, wherever voting takes spot connected May 13 on with different Telangana seats successful the fourth phase of Lok Sabha Elections.

In an exclusive interrogation with LiveMint, Reddy talks astir his 3rd contention successful Chevella, his switches betwixt each 3 parties, the relation of wealth and wherefore Telangana is cardinal for BJP’s and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ngo south. Excerpts from the edited interview:

You won the 2014 Lok Sabha Election arsenic a BRS candidate. You contested successful 2019 predetermination arsenic a Congress candidate. Why did you discontinue these 2 parties?

The BRS and the Congress person deceived Telangana. While the BRS has deviated from the ideals of Telangana agitation and focused solely connected enriching a azygous family, the Congress party, successful the past 2 terms, has enabled the misrule of BRS by strengthening it by sending its MLAs (defecting to BRS).

Also Read:  Lok Sabha predetermination Phase 4: Over 1,700 candidates to contention crossed 10 states and UTs

Even today, determination is not overmuch quality aft Congress came to powerfulness successful the state. Like the BRS, the Congress deceived Telangana by making mendacious promises and focusing solely connected corruption.

Now, you person chosen the BJP. Why?

The BJP, connected the different hand, is the lone enactment which is driven by an docket to fortify India and not enrich a azygous household and perpetuate the family’s rule. India has moved from 10th to 5th largest system in the satellite during PM Modi’s 2 terms. 

Today we are the fastest increasing ample system successful the world. During the aforesaid time, 25 crore Indians were lifted retired of multi-dimensional poverty. From removing Article 370 of Jammu and Kashmir to decimating Left-wing extremism and terrorism, it has made the state much integrated and safer than ever.

At the aforesaid time, the BJP is the lone enactment that has a imaginativeness and a program for the future--Making India the third-largest system during the adjacent word and a developed state by 2047. I person immense assurance successful the enactment of PM Narendra Modi and judge the BJP is the lone enactment that tin marque the extremity of a developed India imaginable soon.

How does it assistance your constituency Chevella?

Chevella hosts the IT and financial hubs successful Telangana. Chevella is simply a maturation motor for Hyderabad and hence for India. This is simply a clip to absorption connected fast-paced development, utilising the demographic dividend we are bestowed with. 

I judge Chevella tin payment and lend a batch erstwhile the docket is maturation – which is astatine the halfway of BJP and PM Modi’s agenda.

You are BJP’s richest campaigner truthful far? What role, according to you, does wealth play successful politics, particularly successful Telangana?

The power of wealth and liquor successful elections was minimal successful Telangana until 2014. Only aft the BRS came to powerfulness did money's power turn tremendously. This resulted from the corruption that BRS leaders resorted to astatine each level. In this election, the powerfulness of wealth and liquor is waning. The voters person fixed a beardown connection by throwing retired BRS successful the caller Assembly elections, successful spite of BRS spending immense sums--maybe the highest successful the state per constituency. 

Watch: Why The Road To PM Modi's '400 Paar' Target Goes Through Southern Indian States | Lok Sabha Election

People similar the BJP authorities and PM Modi’s development, welfare, information and stableness way record. The absorption does not adjacent person a communal programme oregon a communal leader. All they person to connection is Modi-hate. Voters spot this predetermination arsenic a contention betwixt Modi and his track-record, versus hatred against Modi.

You returned from US and started moving successful your area. Can you database immoderate of your achievements?

I started the ‘Swachh Truck’ inaugural to cleanable toilets successful astir 90 schools successful my constituency. My trucks cleanable the schoolhouse toilets successful the agrarian areas of the constituency each day. This benefits the miss kid immensely. I myself person cleaned toilets successful these schools. That is thing I volition ever beryllium arrogant of. Every clip a cardinal curate visits, I instrumentality my squad to conscionable them. The thought is to inculcate what Mahatma Gandhi tried to beforehand passim his life- the dignity of labour and the value of cleanliness and sanitation.

BJP is trying to marque inroads successful the confederate states. How cardinal is Telangana for BJP's fortunes successful the South?

After Karnataka, Telangana volition beryllium the 2nd authorities with a BJP authorities soon. After Karnataka, Telangana volition beryllium the 2nd authorities with BJP winning the highest fig of seats successful the state, adjacent successful this election. We volition spot tremendous maturation successful ballot stock each implicit the South and volition summation important fig of seats wide from the confederate states. 

The North-South part that Rahul Gandhi and the absorption harp connected volition beryllium proven incorrect by the electorate. BJP’s show successful Telangana is cardinal to busting the insidious and divisive run of the INDIA bloc leaders.

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Published: 09 May 2024, 11:06 AM IST