Congress party neglecting seniors, says Hanumanth Rao; asserts he would contest from Khammam Lok Sabha

HYDERABAD: A political storm erupted in the Telangana Congress as former PCC President and ex-MP V Hanumantha Rao accused the party of neglecting senior leaders.

Hanumantha Rao held a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday. He surprised everyone by announcing his ambition to contest the Khammam Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming parliamentary elections. "I've been working in Khammam for many years, fighting against injustices. The local cadre there has urged me to contest, so I've decided to run in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," he asserted.

Hanumantha Rao expressed dissatisfaction with the party's decision to exclude him from the mainstream. "What did I do wrong? Why have I been sidelined?" he asked.

He questioned why he had been pushed to the sidelines despite years of dedicated service and extensive travel for the party. He expressed his unwavering faith in Chief Minister and TPCC president A Revanth Reddy and declared his intention to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Khammam. He asked what the situation of senior leaders would be like if the new entrants in the party were given tickets.

The former MP also demanded the withdrawal of all politically motivated cases filed against him during the previous BRS government's tenure.

Hanumanth Rao also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sparing the time for a photoshoot near an ocean but not having time to visit Manipur to assess the situation. He also accused the BJP government of inciting religious sentiments in the name of Lord Ram to get votes. He alleged that the BJP's ongoing Praja Sankalp Yatra aimed to polarise the upcoming elections with religious feelings.

He condemned the BJP Government for not allowing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to visit a temple and questioned whether all temples were the BJP's fiefdoms.