Telangana caretaker Minister T Harish Rao on Sunday dismissed reports doing the rounds that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would not contest from Gajwel constituency as he feared anti-incumbency. Speaking at a meeting in Gajwel, Harish was quoted as saying, "KCR will stick to Gajwel and he will not shift from this constituency. He has even bought land in Gajwel as he has decided to live here.”
Harish Rao also lashed out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu and said that the list of party candidates who will contest in Telangana was being decided from Amaravati.
Hitting out at Vanteru Pratap Reddy, the likely Congress candidate from Gajwel and the constituency's ex-MLA Narsa Reddy who recently left the TRS and joined the Congress, Harish Rao said that KCR had developed the region more in four years, than they had done in decades.
"The people of Telangana know how Naidu had conspired to stall the formation of the state and Congress also knows that Naidu’s campaign would yield no positive results to them in the elections. Voters of Gajwel also know how Pratap Reddy and Narsa Reddy sparred for decades and joined hands by changing parties in a day for their own interests," Harish Rao was quoted as saying.
Just earlier this week, Gajwel saw a controversy after Pratap Reddy claimed that Harish Rao, who is also KCR’s nephew, called the Congress leader from an unknown number, and said, “If you defeat my uncle, their family will go behind and I will work together with you. If you need anything, I am ready to help you. This is the truth.”
Pratap Reddy also claimed that Harish was in regular touch with Congress President Rahul Gandhi and would join their party any time.
Hitting back, Harish Rao said, “My birth and death will be in TRS only. I will stay in Gajwel and ensure that he (Pratap Reddy) loses his deposit and his political career is buried.”