Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao targets MP Uttam Kumar Reddy, vows to expose him

HYDERABAD: Senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao has come down heavily on former TPCC president and Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy scuttle the chances of candidate proposed by him for Amberpet Assembly seat.

Speaking to media here on Sunday, Hanumantha Rao said that he won as an MLA from Amberpet constituency and also served as minister and took part in several development activities. "The Yadav community has a strong hold in the constituency and expected ticket in 2018, I had given up contesting from Amberpet as high command given ticket to the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) following the pressure from TJS founder and Prof M Kodandaram," he said, and added that Uttam Kumar Reddy was trying to field N Srikanth Goud from Amberpet.

Hanumantha Rao said that the SC, ST atrocity case was registered against him because of Srikanth. "It is not at all correct on the part of Uttam Kumar Reddy to encourage Srikanth and making baseless allegations about me and withdrawing my candidature from Amberpet in previous elections for money. Had I been selling tickets, I would have been owning half of Hyderabad,” he said.

Taking a jibe at Uttam Kumar Reddy, Hanumantha Rao said that the former had refused to conduct a meeting with the BCs in Suryapet. The former PCC president wanted BC votes for his political mileage and he was trying to expel him from the party, he alleged.

"I am loyal to the Congress and the Gandhi family. I will not quit the party and exposer the anti-party activities of Uttam Kumar Reddy. The Nalgonda MP wants tickets for him and his wife. I will contest from Amberpet constituency without fail," he said.

Hanumantha Rao said, “Uttam Kumar Reddy has sent his henchmen Maheshwara Reddy and Gudur Narayana Reddy. It was Uttam Kumar Reddy who provoked Jagga Reddy that one day he will become the TPCC president if he continued to criticise Revanth Reddy in front of media". He also alleged that Uttam Kumar Reddy threatened the Congress that he would leave the party unless they met his demands.