New Delhi: YSR Congress Party chief Jagan Mohan Reddy has levelled a sharp allegation against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, claiming he maintains direct communication with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi through Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Speaking at a press conference in Amaravati, the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister took aim at Gandhi’s repeated accusations of ‘vote chori’ in other states, questioning why similar charges were never made about Andhra Pradesh.
“When Rahul Gandhi talks about vote theft, why does he never mention Andhra, where the margin difference between the announced results and the final counting was the highest — 12.5 per cent? He stays silent because Chandrababu Naidu is speaking to him via Revanth Reddy on a hotline,” Reddy claimed.
He further accused the Congress leader of selective criticism, noting that Gandhi has also avoided making comments about AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, despite his party’s defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections.
“What should I say about a leader who is not even sincere about his own campaigns?” Reddy remarked.
The political undercurrent is significant, as Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is a crucial ally in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), holding 16 Lok Sabha seats. With the BJP falling short of a full majority in the 2024 general elections, Naidu’s support remains pivotal to the coalition’s stability.
The TDP had broken away from the NDA in 2014, fought two general elections independently with little success, and rejoined the BJP camp ahead of the 2024 polls. The renewed alliance, along with Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party, secured a clean sweep in Andhra Pradesh’s parliamentary seats.
