Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], August 3 : The Congress party on Monday strongly condemned BRS Working President KT Rama Rao's remarks where he referred to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's "Bodhi Bhavan" as a "criminal waste."
In an official statement, the party said that KTR "insulted" the ideals associated with Buddha and Dr BR Ambedkar.
"Lord Buddha's teachings symbolise peace, equality, and compassion, while Dr. B.R. Ambedkar embraced Buddhism as a path to dignity and social justice for millions of Dalits. Using the name "Bodhi Bhavan" in a derogatory political attack is an insult to the ideals associated with Lord Buddha, Dr. Ambedkar, and the sentiments of Dalit communities," the statement read.
Earlier, the BRS working president had slammed CM Reddy over his remark calling the education of engineering students a "criminal waste." Addressing the media, KTR had said, "Despite having Pragathi Bhavan for official work, CM Revanth Reddy constructed another palace in Jubilee Hills and called it Bodhi Bhavan. This is actually a criminal waste."
Congress has demanded that KTR clarify his remarks and refrain from making statements that hurt the sentiments associated with Lord Buddha, Dr Ambedkar, and Dalits while pursuing political criticism.
The comments were made after KTR launched a scathing attack on the Congress-led Telangana government, accusing it of failing to fulfil its promises on employment, governance and irrigation. He also criticised CM Reddy over his reported remarks about engineers.
KTR criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he had remained silent over the Chief Minister's remarks describing engineers as "criminal waste." He said the comments had deeply hurt the engineering community and questioned whether engineers were contributing to infrastructure.
Congress senior leader and Telangana State government Advisor, Hanumant Rao, also hit back at KTR over his remarks, accusing him of insulting marginalised communities.
"I don't understand what it means when former BRS minister KT Rama Rao repeatedly calls the Chief Minister a criminal. At the same time, he is saying Rahul Gandhi is also a criminal. He insults Buddha as well. Why are you so against Buddha? What did you say before coming to Telangana? You said, 'If I come to Telangana, I will not become the Chief Minister. I will make a Harijan the Chief Minister.' Did you fulfil that? You are insulting the Chief Minister, insulting Buddha, and insulting Harijans," Rao told ANI.
"I condemn him for this. He is an educated man, yet by speaking such language, he is destroying his credibility. If he keeps saying such things again and again, cases will be registered somewhere or the other. He will have to answer for it," he added.
The controversy stems from Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's comment on the employability of engineering graduates, which sparked a political row.
Speaking at an event in Hyderabad, Revanth Reddy expressed concern over the quality of education and job readiness among engineering graduates and referred to them as "criminal waste."
The Chief Minister had said, "You give a plain paper to them (engineering graduates) and tell them to write a job application. Criminal waste. He won't apply for a small job because he studied engineering. He does not learn skills."