BRS Chief Accuses Telangana Congress of Corruption, Demands Probes

HYDERABAD: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Saturday alleged that corruption and irregularities in Telangana were now being exposed not only by opposition parties but also by legislators of the ruling Congress. Referring to Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy’s remarks, Rama Rao said allegations of corruption by a ruling party legislator against the government and its leadership reflected the deterioration of governance in the state. Speaking to the media after participating in Independence Day celebrations at Telangana Bhavan, he said the government had long dismissed corruption allegations by the opposition as political criticism. However, ruling party MLAs were now making similar allegations, he said, adding that such public criticism of the government’s top leadership was a serious indication of the situation in the state. Reiterating his allegation that the Telangana Congress had been turned into an “ATM” for Rahul Gandhi and the AICC, Rama Rao recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made similar charges during his visits to Telangana. He questioned why the Centre had failed to act despite such allegations being made by the Prime Minister. Merely levelling corruption charges during elections or on political platforms would serve no purpose, he said, demanding impartial probes by central investigating agencies if there was substance in the allegations and that the facts be placed before the people. Rama Rao said the Centre had a responsibility to investigate the allegations, establish the facts and initiate legal action against those responsible. Referring to earlier Enforcement Directorate searches involving Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, the BRS MLA said there was no clarity on the subsequent action or the status of the investigation. He demanded that central agencies provide clarity and act impartially rather than being used for political purposes.