Reddy is the spearhead of the Congress's aggressive campaign in the assembly elections. In fact, he is the one who turned it around for a party plagued by infighting and defection till a few months ago.
Reddy talks about his party's chances in the polls, the opposition and the key issues in the state. Excerpts:
Q/ Chief Minister KCR has criticised the Congress by evoking the Babri mosque demolition and the alleged communal riots and killings of naxals during Indira Gandhi's rule. How do you respond to that?
A/ He can go back to the time of freedom struggle and even beyond that and talk about monarchs. But what is the point of discussing it now? We have to learn from history and move forward. That is how politics and governance have evolved over time. People have judged the political consequences of this country, overcame it and made India the strongest democracy in the world. At a time when people want to know what KCR has done as chief minister, he is busy distorting facts and blaming the Congress. His behaviour shows that he has already accepted defeat.
Q/ How seriously will the issue of unemployment influence the polls?
A/ The PRC (Pay Revision Commission) constituted by this government gave a report that there were two lakh vacant government jobs. Whether it was in 1969 or 2009, the street agitations by students and the unemployed youth for a separate Telangana state centred on government jobs. When Telangana was created, the vacant jobs were one lakh, which has increased in the past 10 years and now stands at two lakh. For denying jobs to the eligible youth and destroying their lives, 30 lakh unemployed voters will throw out KCR.
Q/ It is natural for anti-incumbency to set in after nine years. Are the section of voters moving towards you anti-BRS or pro-Congress?
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