Interview | I come from lower middle-class family, have to learn nuances of Parliament: Cab driver turned Congress MP Kiran Chamala

Hyderabad: From a taxi driver in Australia to a first-time MP from Telangana’s Bhongir Constituency, Kiran Kumar Chamala has come a long way.

A staunch Congressman, he talked to NewsMeter about governance in Telangana, center-state relationship under chief minister Revanth Reddy, and the politics of Bharatiya Janata Party and Bharat Rashtra Samithi in the state. Excerpts:

NM: How do you see your journey from a taxi driver in Australia to a Congress worker and now a first-time MP?

KKC: I was not a good student. I could not excel in the school system. After completing my intermediate, I left home at the age of 18. I come from a lower middle-class family and told my parents that I would do something in life and make money. I went to Australia and became a cab driver. I went in 1995, and for 5 years, I lived in Australia and survived driving cabs.

I came back to India in 2000 and joined the Congress party. I worked at various levels of the party. I had been trying for an MP ticket from 2009 onwards. In 2024, I got the ticket and became an MP, which was a big achievement for me.

My family is not into politics. I am the first politician in the family. From a Congress worker to the highest governing body of the country, it has indeed been a wonderful journey.

My family often wondered what he was doing in his life. Politics was difficult for them to understand. When I made it to Lok Sabha, my family, friends, and relatives from Nalgonda, Nellore, and even Australia were overwhelmed.

NM: As a first-time MP, how do you find the functioning in Parliament?

KKC: Functioning of Parliament is very intricate, and I have so far learnt only 30 percent of the way the highest body in the country functions. Some agencies guide first-time Parliamentarians.

As a newcomer, I observed the functioning closely. I realized that it is like a classroom, and we have to pay attention.

The members of the House are cooperative with the first-timers. Speaker Om Birla gave first-timers a chance to speak. I got 7 minutes, and frankly, I could not conclude my speech on the President’s address. There is a lot more to learn and understand.

NM: What is it that you highlighted in your first speech in Parliament?

KKC: Telangana is the youngest state in the country. From a surplus state in the last 10 years, it has become a debt-ridden state. The crux of my speech was to highlight the real problems of Telangana and find solutions. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is working hard for the development of the state. The central government’s contribution is also important for development. It is here that the role of all the MPs from Telangana, irrespective of which party they belong to, becomes very important to ensure that the state gets its due share of funds.

NM: The government claims the Opposition disrupts Parliament. As an Opposition MP, how do you see protests outside Parliament in which you too participated?

KKC: The job of the Opposition is to highlight the issues that affect the people of this country. Manipur and corruption by the Adani Group are important issues that need to be discussed. When these issues are not discussed, we have no other option but to protest.

Congress has been asking to discuss these issues on the floor of the House. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has been constantly raising this issue. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not want to discuss these issues in the House. These issues are very important as they affect the people of this country.

Instead of discussing the issues that affect the people of the country, the government has been trying to show that the Opposition is not allowing the functioning of the House, which is a wrong portrayal.

NM: Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, along with ministers and MPs, has been constantly asking the Centre to release funds for the state. What is the challenge?

KKC: Chief Minister Revanth Reddy understands the federal structure of India. When it comes to governance, the center-state relationship must be maintained.

The electoral politics is ok. For governing the state, the protocols and the systems have to be followed. CM Revanth Reddy has visited Delhi 35 times with 88 representations for the state. All the 8 Congress MP’s are working hard to get funds released for the state.

Why are we doing this?

This is because, in the last 10 years of the rule of K Chandrashekar Rao, there have been administrative lapses. The center-state share in projects and the grants issued, utilization certificates for those grants, and the systems were not followed as desired. Due to these lapses, there is a major backlog. We are trying to set the system right and get what is required for Telangana.

NM: Recently, Revanth Reddy, Congress Telangana president Mahesh Kumar Goud, and you came down heavily on Telangana BJP MP G Kishan Reddy alleging that the funds of the metro rail are being stopped by him. Why?

KKC: All the MPs of Telangana must work for the state. Instead, we find that the BJP MP Kishan Reddy is working against the development of the state. There are four major projects where funds are required from the Center:

Metro Rail expansion project

Future City project

Musi Rejuvenation Project

Skill development

For all these projects, the center and state have a 60:40 ratio of share. Be it land acquisition or other processes. But what we find is that MP Kishan Reddy does not want the development of the state. Kishan Reddy is worried that this will enhance the image of CM Revanth Reddy and his governance. He does not want that to happen as he is also aspiring to be the future chief minister of the state.

What was Kishan Reddy doing when the former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao ruined the state with the Kaleshwaram project?

Now, Kishan Reddy sees CM Revanth Reddy as a threat. The governance and the centre-state relations will help Telangana develop. Reddy does not want this to happen for his ulterior political motives. With these challenges, all Congress MPs from Telangana are constantly asking for their fair share of the welfare and growth of the people of the state.

NM: The political slugfest in Telangana is never-ending. BRS-Congress are engaged in tu-tu-meih-meih everyday? You have been very active in countering the BRS via social media and videos.

KKC: BRS leaders and especially KTR are not able to digest that they are in the Opposition. Leader of the Opposition KCR has to come to the Assembly and play a constructive role.

Instead, we see a daily nuisance. Fabricated information and news are spreading via social media. They are spreading false news about the economy and infrastructure of Telangana. People who see these videos on mobiles, especially in rural areas, tend to believe them.

To counter their fake propaganda, I have been constantly countering them on social media and via video messages.

Congress party has come to power by working on the real issues that affect the people of Telangana. When the Congress government in the state is doing its best for people, as a party worker and an MP, I must counter this fake narrative being set against us.