Delhi has easy access for Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy when it comes to meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Then why did he seek the help of Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy to secure appointments with Union ministers? Why did Kishan Reddy arrange meetings for him with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and personally facilitate those interactions? This issue has now become a major talking point in Telangana politics. Moreover, despite being a Chief Minister who can directly meet Prime Minister Modi, Revanth Reddy wrote to Union Minister Kishan Reddy seeking appointments with other Union ministers. Kishan Reddy responded and arranged the meetings. Looking at the entire episode, many believe there is something unusual about it. Even after all these meetings, the bigger question remains: Will the Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) immediately sanction the previously agreed loan of Rs. 13,527 crore? Neither Revanth Reddy’s tweet nor Kishan Reddy’s statements mention anything about this.
In fact, judging by what both leaders have said, it appears that the issue has gone back to square one. Despite all the hype surrounding these meetings, there are clear indications that nothing substantial was achieved. After concluding the meeting with Khattar in Delhi, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy posted the following on his official social media account: “I held detailed discussions with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Coal and Mines Minister Kishan Reddy, and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to remove obstacles related to the Hyderabad Metro Phase-I takeover and the expansion of Metro Phase-II. During the discussions, we decided to appoint a consultant to study the valuation of Hyderabad Metro Phase-I, loan mobilization required for the takeover of Phase-I, selection of the lending institution, Metro Phase-II expansion, construction costs, and the financing required for the project. We have selected SBI Caps as the consultant. Future action will be taken based on the report submitted by this organization.”
This statement makes it clear that, despite the extensive publicity over the past two days, the Delhi meetings did not yield any concrete outcome for Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. Recently, Revanth Reddy had even held a press conference accusing Kishan Reddy of blocking the IRFC loan, despite the corporation having already agreed to provide the funds required for the state government to take over the Metro project from L&T. However, based on the latest announcement, it appears that SBI Caps will once again begin examining the entire matter from the beginning. Union Minister Kishan Reddy also tweeted about the meetings.
He stated that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had written two letters seeking meetings with Union ministers and that, in response, he arranged meetings with Ashwini Vaishnaw and Manohar Lal Khattar. He added that discussions on the Metro Rail expansion were held in a positive atmosphere. Kishan Reddy further said that, as a Union Cabinet Minister from Telangana, he would always work for the development of the state and the welfare of its people. After witnessing this entire episode, some Congress leaders fear that the public may begin to suspect that the Congress and BJP are jointly staging a political drama.