Arrest of BRS leaders admission of irregularities in Gurukul tenders: Harish Rao

BRS leader T Harish Rao accused the Congress government of avoiding an open debate on Telangana's debt and Gurukul tenders by arresting BRS leaders. He alleged large-scale procurement irregularities and said the government had ignored the interests of handloom weavers and SC entrepreneurs.

Hyderabad: BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao said that by getting BRS leaders arrested and shying away from an open debate on Telangana’s debt and alleged irregularities in Gurukul residential school tenders, the Congress Ministers had inadvertently admitted to irregularities and making false accusations. He said the Congress government used the police to arrest them, scoring a self-goal before the people of Telangana.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan after his release from police custody on Thursday, Harish Rao said the Ministers had issued challenges only to retreat when the opposition accepted them. He said Minister Jupally Krishna Rao had publicly challenged the BRS over the State’s debt and promised to come to Telangana Bhavan for a discussion, but did not turn up.

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“KTR and I were waiting at Telangana Bhavan since 10 a.m. But he backed out. If the Minister has any honour or the spirit of Palamuru, he should resign,” he said. He also pointed out that Krishna Rao made contradictory statements, first putting Telangana’s debt at Rs.8 lakh crore and later revising it to Rs.7 lakh crore.

The BRSLP deputy leader said BRS leaders, including RS Praveen Kumar and Koppula Eshwar, were prepared to present documentary evidence on Gurukul tender irregularities at the Somajiguda Press Club, but the Congress Ministers shifted the venue to Gun Park. However, the government used the police to arrest the BRS leaders at Telangana Bhavan to evade the debate.

On the Gurukul procurement controversy, Harish Rao alleged that food supply contracts worth nearly Rs.2,000 crore were tainted by inflated pricing, with grocery contracts worth Rs.800 crore and additional procurements involving edible oils, spices and eggs resulting in large-scale financial irregularities.

The former Minister accused the Congress of dismantling procurement arrangements established under the BRS government for handloom weavers and SC entrepreneurs. He stated that the previous BRS government had mandated that uniform procurement for government institutions be routed through TSCO and that clothing and footwear purchases be made through LIDCAP, ensuring employment for handloom workers and SC entrepreneurs.

“The Congress government ignored these orders and awarded contracts to private parties, forcing handloom societies and LIDCAP to approach the High Court, which upheld the earlier government orders and found the cancellation unjustified,” he said.

Harish Rao also referred to a letter reportedly written by Minister Konda Surekha urging protection for handloom weavers, alleging that the government ignored those concerns. He cited another attempt to insert a “watermark” clause in notebook supplies to facilitate another Rs.150 crore tender scam, which was cancelled after the BRS exposed it.

He questioned why commitments made in the Chevella Declaration on procurement reservations for SCs and STs had not been implemented, contrasting this with the BRS government’s reservation policies in liquor shops, irrigation works and hospital procurement.

The senior BRS leader said the party would continue to press for accountability over the alleged irregularities and demand a public debate, maintaining that the party was fighting for nearly six lakh students in residential schools and for the livelihoods of handloom weavers and SC and ST communities.