Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy intensified his verbal assault on former CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) on Sunday, declaring that a “drunkard” cannot claim to be the father of Telangana. The remark came in response to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Harish Rao’s defense of KCR as the state’s patriarch, contrasting him with Revanth Reddy, whom he dubbed the “father of abuses” while demanding an apology for earlier derogatory comments.

Speaking at a public meeting in Station Ghanpur, Warangal district, Revanth Reddy retorted, “For whom, KCR is the father of the nation? Will this father of Telangana wake up without a liquor smell?” He argued that figures like Konda Laxman Bapuji and Professor Jayashankar deserve that title, not KCR, whom he accused of plundering “lakhs of crores” and exploiting the state. “A person who looted lakhs of crores, liquor addict and sucked Telangana people’s blood cannot be the father of Telangana,” he charged.

Reddy also criticized KCR’s absence from the Assembly despite drawing a salary for 15 months as Leader of the Opposition, questioning his commitment to public service. He accused the BRS chief of leaving behind Rs 8.29 lakh crore in debt after inheriting a surplus state, with the current government paying Rs 84,000 crore in interest and Rs 64,000 crore in principal in one year. Despite this, Reddy vowed to fulfill Congress’s promises, citing achievements like free bus travel for 150 crore women (costing Rs 5,005 crore), 200 units of free power for 50 lakh families, Rs 20,610 crore in farm loan waivers, and 57,946 government jobs.

Pledging to elevate Warangal to Hyderabad’s level with Rs 6,500 crore in sanctioned funds, Reddy launched Rs 800 crore worth of development projects in Station Ghanpur, reinforcing his government’s focus on progress amid the ongoing feud with BRS.