AMARAVATI, May 4: Andhra Pradesh BJP State president PVN Madhav on Monday conveyed his birthday greetings to Vice-President of India C.P. Radhakrishnan, describing his rise from an ordinary party worker to the country's second-highest constitutional office as a reflection of his exceptional qualities and commitment to public life.

In a statement released on the occasion, Mr. Madhav said that Mr. Radhakrishnan's journey was an inspiration for generations to come, and that his long years of political experience had been marked by unstinting dedication to the welfare of the people. He said the Vice-President's contributions to public life would be remembered for years to come.

Mr. Madhav expressed his wish that the Vice-President enjoy good health and happiness, and conveyed his hope that the country would achieve greater progress and development under his guidance and leadership.

HYDERABAD — Bharat Rashtra Samithi working president K.T. Rama Rao on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Telangana government, demanding the immediate dismissal of Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy over what he described as a brazen family scam — and accusing Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of deliberately protecting the minister despite acknowledging wrongdoing.

Speaking in his characteristically sharp and combative style, KTR — as the BRS leader is widely known — pulled no punches in his assault on the ruling Congress government, raising questions that he said demand urgent answers from the Chief Minister.

"CM Admitted Wrongdoing — But Still Won't Act"

KTR alleged that the exposure of Minister Ponguleti's family scam has left the Telangana government rattled and desperate. What makes the situation even more damning, he argued, is the Chief Minister's own admission.

"The Chief Minister himself has acknowledged that irregularities have taken place," KTR said. "Yet no legal action has been initiated. One must ask — is the Chief Minister protecting the minister because he too has a share in this corruption?"

It was a pointed and provocative question — one that the BRS leader clearly intended to land with maximum political force.

At the center of the controversy is Raghava Constructions — a company of which KTR claims Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy served as chairman between 2020 and 2022. The Chief Minister, KTR alleged, has attempted to distance the minister from the company by claiming it belongs to Ponguleti's distant relatives — a claim KTR dismissed as a transparent cover-up.

"The facts are clear," KTR said. "Ponguleti was the chairman of Raghava Constructions. The attempt to pass it off as belonging to distant relatives fools nobody."

Two and a Half Years of Failure

KTR broadened his attack beyond the immediate controversy, using the platform to deliver a comprehensive indictment of what he called the Congress government's two and a half years of governance failure.

"In two and a half years, the Chief Minister has not done a single thing that has benefited the people of Telangana," KTR charged. "Not one. And yet a minister accused of corruption continues to sit in his chair, his family protected, his wrongdoing unpunished."

He demanded pointed answers from the Chief Minister — why has action not been taken against the minister? Why is the minister's family being shielded? What message does this send to the people of Telangana?

Mining Scandals and Political Connections

KTR did not limit his allegations to the Ponguleti family controversy. He widened the scope of his attack to include what he described as widespread irregularities in the mining sector across Telangana.

Most explosive among his allegations was the claim that Bhagyalakshmi Mining in Kokapet — a prominent location in Hyderabad — belongs to relatives of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy himself. The allegation, if proven, would represent a significant conflict of interest at the highest levels of the state government.

"Mining has become a cover for large-scale illegality across this state," KTR alleged. "And the connections lead all the way to the Chief Minister's own family."

The L&T Land Controversy

KTR also trained his fire on what he described as a dangerous conspiracy surrounding 280 acres of land leased by the previous BRS government to engineering and construction giant Larsen & Toubro.

He alleged that what he called the "Danduppalya batch" — a reference he used to describe a group within the ruling establishment — is plotting to illegally seize this land. More alarmingly, KTR claimed that the Chief Financial Officer of L&T had been threatened with imprisonment in an attempt to intimidate the company.

"This is a massive scandal," KTR said, his voice rising with controlled fury. "Threatening the CFO of one of India's most respected companies with jail — what kind of government does this? What kind of governance is this?"

He described the entire episode as a "large-scale conspiracy" that strikes at the heart of investor confidence in Telangana.

"We Will Go to the Governor"

KTR made clear that the BRS is not prepared to let these issues rest — and issued a direct warning to the Telangana government.

If the government fails to act on the allegations and continues to ignore the opposition's demands, he said, the BRS will escalate the matter to Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and lodge a formal complaint seeking intervention.

"We will go to the Governor if this government refuses to listen," KTR declared. "These are not small matters. These are issues of governance, of corruption, of public money being plundered — and someone must be held accountable."

One Non-Negotiable Demand

Amid the cascade of allegations and accusations, KTR's central demand was unambiguous and unconditional.

Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy must be removed from office. Immediately. Without further delay or excuses.

"This is not a request. This is a demand from the people of Telangana," KTR said. "A minister whose family is neck-deep in scandal, whose wrongdoing has been acknowledged by the Chief Minister himself, has no moral or legal right to continue in office. He must go."

The Political Context

Saturday's press conference marks an escalation in BRS's increasingly aggressive opposition campaign against the Telangana Congress government. With assembly elections still years away, the party — which governed Telangana for a decade before its shock defeat in 2023 — appears determined to position itself as the primary watchdog against what it characterises as runaway corruption under the Revanth Reddy administration.

KTR, who has increasingly taken on the role of the party's most combative public voice, has sharpened his rhetoric in recent months — targeting the Chief Minister personally and with growing frequency.

The Congress government has not yet formally responded to Saturday's allegations. Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy's office was not immediately available for comment.

But with KTR threatening to take the matter to the Governor and vowing to keep the pressure on, the political temperature in Hyderabad shows no sign of cooling any time soon.

BRS working president KTR's allegations have not been independently verified. The Telangana government and Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy's office had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.

HYDERABAD — Forget the assembly floor. Forget the heated debates, the political point-scoring, and the relentless grind of governance.

On Saturday, Telangana's legislators traded their suits for sports kits — and LB Stadium has never seen anything quite like it.

The first-ever Legislators Sports and Cultural Meet 2026 threw open its doors at the iconic Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad, bringing together MLAs, MLCs, MPs, ministers, and the Chief Minister himself in a spectacle that was one part sporting competition, one part political theatre, and entirely, gloriously, human.

It was history. And it was a lot of fun.

Eleven Years in the Making

Think about this for a moment.

Telangana has existed as a state for over a decade. In that time, its legislators have debated budgets, passed laws, fought elections, and argued across the aisle with the full-throated passion that Indian democracy demands.

But never — not once in eleven years — had the state's MLAs and MLCs come together for a sporting and cultural event of their own.

Until Saturday.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Legislative Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar, and Legislative Council Chairman Gutta Sukender Reddy jointly inaugurated the meet in a ceremony that set the tone for an evening of laughter, competition, and genuine cross-party warmth. Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, cabinet ministers, MPs, MLCs, and MLAs filled the stadium with an energy that felt less like a government function and more like a school sports day — the best possible kind.

Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar captured the mood perfectly. "Leaders who are constantly busy with public issues and politics can relieve stress and relax through sports and cultural activities," he said. "When members of all parties play and perform together, a festive atmosphere is created — and we send a positive message to society."

He was not wrong. The atmosphere was festive. Infectiously so.

The Chief Minister Has Four Goals to His Name

Here is something you do not read in political dispatches every day: the Chief Minister of Telangana scored four goals in a football match on Saturday evening.

Four. Goals.

Revanth Reddy — already known for his boundless energy and his love of sport — threw himself into the football competition with an enthusiasm that left the crowd thoroughly entertained. In a move that drew equal parts applause and amusement, the Chief Minister switched teams mid-game to bolster Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar's side — a gesture of solidarity that said more about the spirit of the evening than any speech could.

By the final whistle, he had four goals to his name and the Man of the Match award in his pocket.

Not bad for a Chief Minister.

The kabaddi competition was no less entertaining. Speaker Prasad Kumar flagged off the contest with suitable ceremony, and Team A claimed a spirited victory over Team B in a match that had the crowd roaring. Sports Minister Srihari's team also tasted victory — the minister presumably feeling rather vindicated given his portfolio.

Meanwhile, Nagarjunasagar MLA Jaiveer scored the opening goal of the football match for the CM's team — a moment that will presumably feature prominently in future campaign materials.

MLAs, MPs, and MLCs who probably last laced up a pair of sports shoes during their college days rediscovered muscles they had forgotten they had. Some were graceful. Some were enthusiastic. All of them were smiling.

The Message Beneath the Medals

But strip away the fun and the football, and there is a serious point at the heart of Saturday's event — one that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy made with characteristic bluntness.

Telangana's youth are at a crossroads. And the Chief Minister has chosen his side.

"Leave the path of intoxication. Take the path of the field."

That is the message Revanth Reddy has been carrying across the state — through the CM Cup competitions that his government has run from village level all the way up to the state level, and now through Saturday's legislators' meet. The philosophy is simple: give young people a reason to run toward something, rather than escape into something.

"We are keeping youth away from pubs, feasts, farmhouse parties, drugs, cannabis, and intoxication," the Chief Minister said, his tone sharpening noticeably as he addressed the opposition's decision to boycott the event. Some opposition MLAs and MLCs had announced they would not participate — a choice Revanth Reddy dismissed with barely concealed disdain.

"They are only thinking about farmhouse parties," he said. "We are steering youth away from all of that."

His address to the state's students was passionate and personal. "Develop an interest in sports. Excel in them. Enhance the recognition and honour of the country. You will also have the opportunity to build your own future," he urged — words that carried the weight of a government that believes sport is not a luxury but a lifeline.

The CM Cup programme, he explained, was designed specifically to "unearth diamonds hidden in the soil of rural areas" — a recognition that sporting talent in Telangana does not only grow in city academies and expensive coaching centres, but in dusty village fields where children play barefoot under the afternoon sun.

Promises From the Podium

The Chief Minister did not leave the stadium without making commitments.

The Begumpet Hockey Stadium, he announced, will be developed and upgraded by the state government — a pledge that will be welcomed by hockey enthusiasts across Telangana who have long called for better facilities.

He also revisited one of his government's more colourful political controversies — the furore that erupted when his administration invited global football icon Lionel Messi to Telangana. The opposition had criticised the move as an expensive vanity project. Revanth Reddy, characteristically, was unapologetic. It was about inspiration, he maintained — about showing young Telangana what the world's best looks like, and daring them to dream accordingly.

Athletes who excel in sport, he added, will be honoured and recognised by his government. In Telangana, he made clear, a gold medal and a government job are not mutually exclusive ambitions.

Politics on Pause

Perhaps the most striking image of Saturday evening was not the Chief Minister's fourth goal, or the kabaddi final, or the opening ceremony. It was something simpler and more profound.

It was the sight of legislators from rival parties — people who spend their professional lives arguing, debating, and opposing each other across the assembly chamber — standing on the same field, playing the same game, and cheering for the same moments.

Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar put it best. "Elections are for politics," he said. "The rest of the time, we should all live together in harmony."

For one Saturday evening at LB Stadium, they did exactly that.

Telangana's lawmakers showed up, laced up, and played — and in doing so, reminded a watching state that behind every political title and every assembly seat is a human being who once played cricket in the street, kicked a football in a field, and felt the simple, uncomplicated joy of sport.

That joy was back on Saturday. And Hyderabad loved every minute of it.

The Legislators Sports and Cultural Meet 2026 continues with additional sporting and cultural events at LB Stadium. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's Man of the Match award is, we are told, already framed.

విజయవాడ (జర్నలిస్ట్ ఫైల్): గత కొన్ని రోజులుగా తీవ్ర జ్వరంతో బాధపడుతున్న ఉప ముఖ్యమంత్రి పవన్ కల్యాణ్‌ను ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ ముఖ్యమంత్రి చంద్రబాబు నాయుడు ఆయన నివాసంలో పరామర్శించారు. ఈ సందర్భంగా చంద్రబాబు నాయుడు పవన్ కల్యాణ్ ఆరోగ్యం త్వరగా కోలుకోవాలని ఆకాంక్షిస్తూ, ఆరోగ్యాన్ని జాగ్రత్తగా చూసుకోవాలని సూచించారు.

ముఖ్యమంత్రి ఈ పరామర్శలో ఉప ముఖ్యమంత్రి పట్ల శ్రద్ధాభిమానాన్ని వ్యక్తపరిచారు. ఆయన వెంటనే అవసరమైతే వైద్య సలహాలు తీసుకోవడం, విశ్రాంతి తీసుకోవడం వంటి సూచనలను ఇచ్చారు