File photo of BRS Working President K T Rama Rao.
Credit: PTI Photo
BRS working president, K T Rama Rao, on Saturday alleged a massive Rs 8,888 crore corruption scandal involving Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his family members.
The alleged scam centres around mismanagement and fraudulent tender allocations under the central government's AMRUT 2.0 scheme works, with KTR accusing the Chief Minister of using his position to benefit his family and close associates.
KTR alleged that in just three months after assuming office, Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy orchestrated a colossal fraud by misusing his control over the Urban Development Department.
The scheme, according to KTR, involves the illegal allocation of large-scale contracts to companies that lack the requisite qualifications, many of which are closely connected to the Chief Minister’s family. One of the key accusations is directed towards Shodha Infrastructure Limited, owned by Soodhini Srujan Reddy, Revanth Reddy’s brother-in-law.
KTR accused the Chief Minister of awarding contracts worth Rs 1,137 crore to this company, despite its meagre profit declaration of Rs 2 crore. In particular, KTR alleged that the publicly listed Indian Hume Pipe Ltd. was coerced into entering a joint venture with Shodha Infrastructure. Under this arrangement, Indian Hume Pipe was assigned only 20PC of the project work, while Shodha Infrastructure was handed 80PC, further raising suspicions of foul play.
“The entire tendering process has been riddled with irregularities with Revanth Reddy personally pressuring municipal officials to facilitate the awarding of these contracts,” ” KTR said. The Minister emphasized that the scandal could lead to serious legal consequences for the Chief Minister under the Office of Profit Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
KTR drew parallels with previous high-profile political resignations, citing the example of Sonia Gandhi, who stepped down over similar charges, and BS Yeddyurappa, who was removed from office for illegally granting mining permits to his family. “If Revanth Reddy continues to misuse his position for personal gain, he too will face the same fate,” KTR warned.
Further, KTR criticized Revanth Reddy for withholding key information about the AMRUT 2.0 tenders, preventing public oversight and transparency. He demanded that all details related to the scheme be made public for scrutiny.
“The people of Telangana deserve to know how the corrupt Congress government is siphoning off public funds,” KTR said. “We will continue to expose scams linked to Revanth Reddy and push for a full investigation,” he added.
KTR also took aim at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for remaining silent on the issue, hinting at their complicity in the corruption. He urged the central government to launch an immediate probe into the AMRUT 2.0 tenders and cancel any contracts found to be illegally awarded.
In a letter addressed to Union Ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and Tokhan Sahu, KTR reiterated his demand for a thorough investigation into the tendering process. “I appeal to the Union Government to investigate and disclose the details of the companies awarded tenders under the AMRUT scheme. If irregularities are found, these tenders should be immediately revoked,” he said.
KTR called on the Congress-led Telangana government to release all relevant documents regarding the AMRUT tenders and for the public to remain vigilant in the face of rampant corruption.