Now Revanth Reddy fumbles, calls Uttam Kumar Reddy ‘CM’

The Chief Minister, in an effort to praise engineers and their professional expertise, unintentionally mocks his own rise

Hyderabad: Not anchors, actors and Congress leaders, but A Revanth Reddy himself appears to be suffering from an identity crisis. On Wednesday, he forgot that he was the Chief Minister of Telangana and instead, referred to Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy as the Chief Minister while distributing appointment letters to newly appointed assistant engineers and junior technical officers at Jalasoudha here.

In a speech meant to inspire, Revanth Reddy slipped into a moment of unintended comedy while criticising the previous BRS government. He said the SLBC tunnel works were ignored under the BRS regime for 10 years which resulted in the recent accident. “It was only after Uttam Kumar Reddy became Chief Minister that we resumed the work,” he said.

Revanth Reddy did not stop there. In an effort to praise engineers and their professional expertise, he also unintentionally mocked his own rise. “Engineers take 30 years to become Engineer-in-Chief. But politicians can become MLAs, Ministers or Chief Minister in just two to three years if luck favours them,” he remarked.

The irony was not lost on the audience which burst into laughter. Uttam Kumar Reddy and others sitting on the stage could be seen looking at each other’s faces in bewilderment, before joining the rest of the audience in laughter.

Revanth Reddy, who derides the opposition for spreading misinformation, once again claimed that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid foundation stone for projects like Bhakra Nangal, Nagarjuna Sagar, Srisailam and Sri Ram Sagar, which improved irrigation in Telangana. He also blamed the previous governments in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh for neglect of the irrigation projects in Telangana, forgetting that those governments were either of the Congress or of the TDP, of which he was a member earlier.

He went on to slam the BRS government for spending Rs 1.47 lakh crore on Kaleshwaram, blaming former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for its failure, while in the same breath admitting that official reports including Vigilance and Enforcement as well as the National Dam Safety Authority found no charges against the former Chief Minister, but just against officials.