BJP likened to Kim Jong Un, says Telangana CM Revanth Reddy over Meenakshi Natarajan row

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday of emulating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in undermining democratic processes, after Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan was prevented from contesting a Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Revanth Reddy said the BJP’s manoeuvre in Madhya Pradesh — fielding three candidates despite having numbers for only two seats — amounted to anti-democratic conduct that denied the Congress a rightful berth. He alleged the move also reflected the party’s bias against women candidates.

Just like Kim Jong Un makes sure nobody contests against his party, the BJP is following a similar approach, Revanth Reddy said, linking the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha episode to broader attempts to stifle opposition representation.

The CM made the remarks while responding to questions about his earlier reference to the word “Hydra” — which he said was used in the context of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA). Revanth Reddy asserted that his comments did not glorify Adolf Hitler and defended his choice of words.

Revanth Reddy also addressed recent political developments involving Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan’s re-entry into Telangana politics. He said Pawan Kalyan was free to enter Hyderabad and contest elections in the state, but the permission for a public meeting in the city on June 2 was denied on grounds of potential law-and-order concerns.

He questioned the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led National Democratic Alliance in Andhra Pradesh over restrictions on public meetings for Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, contrasting that with the latitude reportedly given to Pawan Kalyan.

Turning to infrastructure and inter-state disputes, Revanth Reddy repeated allegations made by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K.T. Rama Rao that Union Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy had obstructed the Hyderabad Metro expansion. He also raised a separate grievance involving 1,500 acres of land in Maharashtra that could be affected if Telangana proceeds with the proposed Tummidihatti Barrage as the source point for the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS).

Revanth Reddy questioned why Kishan Reddy — who he said had previously overseen the transfer of seven mandals from the erstwhile Khammam district to Andhra Pradesh — had not used his influence to resolve the Maharashtra land issue, asking whether the Union minister could commit to not attending cabinet meetings until the matter was addressed.

He urged the eight BJP MPs from Telangana to demonstrate sincerity in securing central funds for the state’s development, saying they could have pushed for allocations by now if they were genuinely committed.

The comments add to growing political tensions between Telangana’s state leadership and the Centre, and underline ongoing disputes over representation, infrastructure projects and inter-state water and land concerns.