TPCC Vice President Mallu Ravi today heaped praise on Telangana Health Minister Etala Rajender, and even claimed that the latter was capable of becoming the next chief minister of the state.
Speaking to the media at Jadcherla, Ravi not only expressed his own dissatisfaction with the TRS regime for its "double standards" on the farm Acts issue, but also lauded Rajender for recently assailing the government for its controversial decision of shutting down the state's grain procurement centres, and invited the minister to attend the Congress' Rajiv Rythu Bharosa Deeksha demonstrations against the laws, being held at Nagarkurnool district's Achampet.
The TPCC bigwig also addressed the rumours regarding the imminent change of guard in the state, and demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao appoint either a Dalit or BC leader as his successor, and that the CM only consider those leaders for the post who had worked tirelessly to lead the Telangana movement.
Addressing the rumours that IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao would succeed KCR, he added that the TRS had more efficient leaders than KTR who would be more suitable for the post.
Another Congress leader, A Revanth Reddy, had also recently called Rao
"unsuitable" for the post of CM.
One wonders how Ravi's comments will sit with the TRS leaders of the state, especially since they have been clamouring for KTR to be made the next CM of the state. Prominent party leaders including Telangana Assembly Deputy Speaker T Padma Rao Goud, T Srinivas Yadav, Gangula Kamalakar and Legislative Council Chairman G Sukhender Reddy even issued
public statements in support of KTR.