04/27/2026
Open Letter to Prof. Kodandaram — On Accepting MLC Position under Revanth Reddy-led Congress
To
Prof. M. Kodandaram Garu,
MLC, Telangana Legislative Council
Subject: A Painful Disappointment — Telangana Expected You to Stand Outside, Not Inside Power
Respected Kodandaram Sir,
Today is a deeply sad day for many of us who walked with you during the Telangana movement. To see you accept a nominated MLC position under the Congress Government led by Sri Revanth Reddy is a moment that has shaken the faith of countless Telangana people who once looked up to you as an intellectual conscience of the state.
You Were Our Moral Compass, Not a Power Seeker
Sir, you were never a politician in the conventional sense. You were the voice that questioned governments from the outside. You were the one who reminded every ruling party of its promises to students, farmers, and the unemployed.
You founded TJS because you said mainstream parties had betrayed Telangana’s ideals. You stood with unemployed youth demanding a job calendar. You fought for irrigation projects, for quality education, for budget transparency.
Today, by accepting an MLC seat from the very government that is failing on all these fronts, you have blurred that line. You have moved from being a pressure group to becoming part of the establishment you once held accountable.
The Government You Joined Is Failing Telangana
The Revanth Reddy-led Congress came to power with 6 Guarantees. Where do we stand today?
Irrigation: Kaleshwaram’s future is uncertain, Palamuru-Rangareddy is delayed, and farmers still wait for water. The government has not presented a clear vision to safeguard Telangana’s water rights.
Education: Universities are underfunded, contract lecturers are unpaid for months, and KG-to-PG promise remains on paper. As an educationist, this should pain you the most.
Employment: The job calendar you championed is missing. Notifications are delayed, exams are postponed, and youth frustration is at a peak. The Deputy CM’s handling of the finance portfolio has only amplified the budget crisis.
Guarantees: From Rythu Bharosa to Mahalakshmi to Yuva Vikasam, discontent is growing among farmers, women, students, and employees. The state is borrowing heavily while delivery falters.
Sir, this is the government you chose to join. Even if you are made a Minister tomorrow, you will be one voice in a cabinet that is already helpless before Delhi’s directions and electoral compulsions. History shows us that intellectuals who enter such governments become silent to survive.
Telangana Needed You Outside, Not Inside
Telangana’s biggest strength during the movement was intellectuals who refused power. They stayed outside and forced governments to listen. You were the foremost among them.
We needed Prof. Kodandaram to question the Revanth Government on:
Why job notifications are not coming despite 2 lakh vacancies?
Why irrigation projects are stalled while political theatrics continue?
Why the state is allegedly playing into the hands of neighboring political interests instead of protecting Telangana’s interests?
By taking an MLC, you have surrendered that moral high ground. You cannot effectively question a government when you are nominated by it. The people of Telangana are already whispering: “Kodandaram garu kooda padavi kosam principles vadilesaru.” That whisper will become a roar if you don’t course-correct.
Ministries, MLCs, Corporations Are Temporary — Credibility Is Not
Sir, please remember: MLC terms end in 6 years. Ministries change every 5 years. Corporations are reshuffled every election.
But history remembers only one thing: Did you stand with the people when it mattered, or did you stand with power?
Today, youth feel betrayed. Employees feel unheard. Farmers feel abandoned. And they are asking: “If Kodandaram sir also joins them, who is left for us?”
It is a shame that at this stage, intellectuals are seen as trading their hard-earned credibility for nominated posts. Revanth Reddy’s Congress is struggling with governance, and by joining it, you risk being seen as endorsing its failures rather than correcting them.
Our Appeal — Reconsider and Return to the People’s Side
It is not too late, Sir.
We appeal to you with pain, not anger: Please reconsider this path. Telangana does not need another Minister. Telangana needs Kodandaram — the professor, the activist, the fearless questioner who put people before positions.
Stand outside and build pressure. Unite the discontented youth, farmers, and employees. Force this government to deliver on irrigation, education, jobs, and guarantees. That is the role history gave you.
If you stay inside, you may get a chamber and a convoy, but you will lose the trust of the street. And once trust is lost, no ministry can bring it back.
The people of Telangana will teach a befitting lesson to all who forget them — sooner or later. We hope you will be remembered as one who stood with the people, not as one who settled for a seat.
With deep disappointment, but still with hope,
On behalf of countless students, youth, farmers, and employees and Nris who once rallied behind you
Jai Telangana
Indian Americans Forum
Prof. Kodandaram
