SIT notice on Harish Rao is an attention diversion tactics: KTR

HYDERABAD

Working president of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) K.T. Rama Rao alleged that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has made up his mind to harass senior leader of the party T. Harish Rao as an attempt of revenge following the latter unfolding the coal scam involving the CM’s brother-in-law.

Mr. Revanth Reddy had the history of being caught with money bags in the cash-for-vote scam and he was trying to apply that muck to others, he said addressing a press conference here on Tuesday. Despite such harassment in the name of SIT inquiry into the phone tapping case, the BRS leaders would continue to question the Congress on its failure to keep the poll promises.

Several members of Mr. Reddy’s Cabinet were involved in one scam or the other and in the fresh coal scam some of the ministers linked were maintaining silence, perhaps due to ‘pressure’ from the Chief Minister.

On the phone tapping case, he said no officer investigating the case had spoken a word so far and sought to know how long will Mr. Revanth Reddy survive just by giving leaks. It was going on like a soap opera without having any proof and official information. The Supreme Court had once struck down a case filed against Mr. Harish Rao in the same phone tapping episode.

Mr. Rama Rao observed that the Revanth Reddy government was resorting to attention diversion tactics every time the BRS had revealed a scam of the Congress government. The Chief Minister’s family had tried to control nine Singareni tenders so far. For the first time the tenders were witnessing bids with an excess amount than the estimated value and in the past they were being filed with 20% to 25% less value.

Every bidder who had come for site visit, which was made a pre-condition after the Congress took over in December 2023 as a ploy to make easy money, was being threatened by the Chief Minister’s brother-in-law S. Srujan Reddy and most of the eligible bidders were not being issued with site visit certificates.

He also questioned the silence of Union Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy in the matter and sought to know whether the BJP was also party to the scam. Mr. Rama Rao demanded an inquiry with a sitting judge of the Supreme Court into the scam and cancel nine Singareni and one Naini contract.