Hyderabad: Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy criticized the Opposition BRS for engaging in ‘mud politics’ while people were suffering due to floods.
Speaking at an event for land allotment to the Jawaharlal Nehru Journalists’ MAC Housing Society at Ravindra Bharati, Reddy shared that he had to visit Khammam on the instructions of the Chief Minister due to heavy rains.
Reddy accused the Opposition of not learning from past elections and continuing to make irrelevant statements. He mentioned that while they want the Prime Minister to take a leadership role like a “big brother,” Opposition leaders were making remarks about “bade bhai, chotebhai” (big brother, little brother).
Congratulating the journalists on receiving their land allotment papers, Reddy emphasized that this was just the beginning of fulfilling promises made before the elections. He reminded the audience that the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy government initially provided land sites, and now Revanth Reddy’s government was continuing that effort.
He highlighted that the 18-year wait for journalists had finally ended and joked that the 1,100 members of the society were now “crorepatis” (millionaires) instead of “lakhpatis” (those with hundreds of thousands). Reddy expressed his happiness in making this announcement as their minister.
The minister also took a jab at former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, stating that journalists had to wait for years to meet him and were often mocked during press conferences. He assured that the current government did not discriminate against journalists, even if they wrote critically about the CM or other ministers. Reddy also suggested that journalists should decide on the eligibility criteria for their accreditation cards.
Lastly, the minister acknowledged the challenges the government faced in implementing loan waivers. He explained that the government found it difficult to manage Rs 31,000 crore but, due to the CM’s determination, they were able to waive Rs 18,000 crore of loans. He added that the remaining waivers would be addressed once farmers cleared off their higher-value loans.
