Hans News Service Hyderabad

BRSLP deputy leader T Harish Rao on Thursday said that Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has gone on the defensive and spoke not like a minister, but like the owner of Raghava Constructions.

Harish Rao launched a scathing attack on Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, accusing him of trying to divert attention from serious corruption and illegal mining allegations through abusive language and fabricated explanations.

Speaking to the media at Nagapur village, he said the minister’s remarks inside the Assembly had only further exposed the Congress government’s desperation and moral bankruptcy.

Ponguleti did not speak as a responsible cabinet minister, but as the head of Raghava Constructions, clearly trying to protect his own family and business interests. When people have no facts, no answers, and no defence, they resort to abuse, distractions and emotional drama, he alleged.

Harish Rao said that in trying to defend himself, Ponguleti ended up exposing the broader corruption in the Congress government. “In the process of defending himself, he has virtually admitted that not just he, but several ministers in this government are tainted,” he said.

He pointed out that by referring to the names of senior ministers and the Chief Minister, Ponguleti had opened the door to wider scrutiny over corruption allegations within the government. The most important point was that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had admitted on the floor of the House that irregularities in Raghava Constructions had been detected by government officials, and that a penalty had been imposed.

Rao said that officials from Revenue, Electricity, Pollution Control Board and Mining Departments had jointly inspected the site and confirmed illegal mining activities.

“So who is lying?” Harish Rao asked. “Is Ponguleti right, or are the officials right? Is the Chief Minister wrong? Is the Mining Minister wrong? Or are all of them speaking the truth, and only Ponguleti is denying it?” Harish Rao questioned.

Harish Rao also addressed Ponguleti’s comments on the Nadargul land issue, and said the BRS government had in fact protected those lands as government property.

He said it was the BRS government that included the land in the prohibited list, fought the case in the High Court, and secured orders that action should be taken against those who sold and purchased ceiling-surplus lands illegally.

He questioned why the Congress government was now trying to suppress these facts. He questioned whether there were links between Shilpa, Raghava and AQ Square, and asked why the government is not coming clean on these relationships.

Rao demanded that if the government was sincere, it should immediately act against the encroachers, send HYDRAA to the site, and prove its honesty through action rather than statements. He said Ponguleti’s attempts at creating noise and drama have failed to bury the facts.