Harish Rao opposes move to scrap Siddipet dist

Hyderabad: BRS deputy leader T Harish Rao on Friday issued a stern warning to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy against any move to abolish Siddipet district. Addressing a gathering, Rao urged the Chief Minister not to harbour a grudge against the people of the region due to political rivalry.

The BRS leader noted that the first Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandrashekar Rao, had fulfilled a 40-year-old local aspiration by granting Siddipet district status. He alleged that Revanth Reddy is now conspiring to dismantle the district and merge it back with Sangareddy under the pretext of an excess of districts in the state. “If the district is removed, we will lose critical institutions like the Collectorate, the Medical College, and the Police Commissionerate,” Harish Rao stated. He challenged the Chief Minister to target him personally rather than punishing the residents of the area. “If you have a grudge against me, target me directly, but do not punish the people of Siddipet. We will not stay silent. We will launch another agitation if the existence of our district is threatened,” he added.

The remarks were made during a meeting held to mark the joining of Siddipet BJP Town President Pathri Srinivas and senior leader Hanumanth Rao, who moved to the BRS along with their followers.