Ex-minister and BRS leader Harish Rao launched a sharp counterattack against Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, accusing him of hypocrisy for praising the Congress rule between 2004 and 2014.

Harish Rao recalled that Reddy, once a TDP member, had harshly criticised the late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy and his government's schemes. "You were the one who said YSR became a pavuram in pavurala gutta when he died," Rao said, adding that Reddy once called Congress's Jala Yagnam programme a 'Dhana Yagnam'.

"Did you not accuse Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy of being involved in a Rs 1 lakh crore quid pro quo deal? And now you praise those same years. Have you washed your mouth with phenyl before doing so?" Harish Rao questioned.

He also reminded Reddy of his own statements in the Assembly, where Reddy reportedly said that he couldn't find water to bathe after his father's last rites because of power cuts in his village. "Who gave 24-hour electricity to those villages? It was KCR," Rao pointed out.

Continuing his attack, Harish Rao asked, "If you act over-smart and ask people in Jubilee Hills to vote for Congress remembering the 2004-2014 rule, do you think they have cauliflowers in their ears?"

Rao concluded by saying that if Revanth Reddy wants to claim the legacy of that decade, he should first apologise for his past remarks before taking credit for the Congress government's achievements.