CM calls for ideology-based student politics amid defection concerns

CM Revanth Reddy stresses the importance of ideology-based politics, highlighting student-level politics as key to leadership integrity

HYDERABAD: Amidst the controversy surrounding defections of MLAs, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said the trend was gaining momentum mainly due to lack of ideologies among leaders during student-level politics.

“Though it may not sound wise for me to speak on party defections, leaders aspiring to make a career in politics are aiming to become elected public representatives. They want to secure positions, irrespective of parties and by different means. This is mainly due to lack of ideologies during the student-level politics,” he said during the launch of the book “Unika” authored by former Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao.

Stating that many leaders excelled in politics by sticking to ideologies since their student-level politics, he said there was a need to promote such ideology-based student politics.

Among the first generation leaders in the State, people fondly recall former Chief Minister Burugula Ramakrishna Rao, former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and former Chief Minister Marri Channa Reddy.

In the second generation, there were former Union Minister Jaipal Reddy, former Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Satyanarayana. In the third generation, however, there were not many leaders in the State, he said.

The efforts put in by former leaders by conducting padayatras to ensure optimum utilisation of River Godavari water for providing sufficient irrigation water to northern Telangana were still incomplete, he said.

If the lands getting submerged in Maharashtra due to the projects being planned by the State government were handed over to Telangana, it would aid in making optimum utilisation of River Godavari water with minimum costs, he said, adding that to achieve this, Vidyasagar Rao had to play a crucial role.

Using his experience and relations with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, if Vidyasagar Rao gets Maharashtra lands allotted to Telangana for constructing the Tummidihatti project, it would augur well for the State, he stated.

He also asked Union Minister Bandi Sanjay to get the Metro Rail, RRR, Regional Ring Rail and expansion projects approved by the Centre.

“Modi government approved Metro projects for Tamil Nadu and Karnataka despite Congress and other parties ruling the States,” he added.