Book Revanth Reddy in Formula-E case for cancelling event without Cabinet approval, says KTR

"If taking decisions without Cabinet approval is wrong on my part, Revanth Reddy also cancelled it without discussing in the Cabinet. If a case is filed against me, why isn't there one against Revanth Reddy?" he asked.

Hyderabad: BRS working president and former Minister KT Rama Rao on Wednesday said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy should be booked in the Formula-E race case, if taking decisions without the Cabinet approval was wrong. As the then Municipal Administration Minister, he had decided to host the event in Hyderabad, while Revanth Reddy, as the new Chief Minister, decided against it.

“If taking decisions without Cabinet approval is wrong on my part, Revanth Reddy also cancelled it without discussing in the Cabinet. If a case is filed against me, why isn’t there one against Revanth Reddy?” he asked.

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In an informal interaction with mediapersons at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday, Rama Rao dismissed allegations of wrongdoing in decisions related to the Formula-E race event. He reiterated that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) case against him in the Formula-E race case was baseless as there was no wrongdoing. He declared that he had complete faith in the judiciary and exuded confidence to come out clean.

He rubbished the corruption charges as well. “Leave alone Rs 600 crore, there is not even a single paisa of corruption,” he declared, adding that the Advocate General failed to clarify on the doubts raised by the Telangana High Court which heard the arguments on Tuesday and reserved its judgment on his petition to quash the ACB case.

On the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials to appear before them on January 7, the BRS working president said his lawyers would decide whether to attend the questioning or not. “This is the sixth attempt targeting to arrest me, and yet, Revanth Reddy has found nothing,” he said, adding that the Congress government was trying to jail him without evidence.

Rama Rao leveled serious allegations against the Congress, stating that its leaders were involved in massive corruption in contracts related to the Regional Ring Road (RRR) project. “There will be Rs 12,000 crore of corruption in RRR contracts, with Congress leaders collecting thousands of crores from contractors and sending the money to their Delhi high command,” he stated.

He predicted growing discontent among people with the Revanth Reddy government, particularly over the handling of the Rythu Bharosa scheme. He questioned the need for a self-declaration by farmers. He suspected that the Congress government would stop the financial assistance to farmers in a phased manner which would only trigger public revolt against the government.

The former Minister pointed out the issues surrounding 42 per cent reservations for BCs in local body elections, blaming the Revanth Reddy government for undermining it. He suspected that the Congress leaders might encourage others to file cases against the increased reservations citing the 50 per cent reservation limit.

On the occasion, Rama Rao announced that the BRS would complete its membership registration and appoint the State-level committees in the first half of the year. He said the BRS foundation day celebrations were scheduled for April 27, and training programmes for party leaders were planned to bolster the party’s strength in the upcoming local body elections. He also hinted at possible by-elections this year, citing growing anti-incumbency among people.

He revealed that the BRS would take the issue of MLAs defection to the Supreme Court after Sankranti festival. In response to a question, he said the party supremo and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao would step out at an appropriate time whenever people of Telangana need him. He also stated that the BRS would showcase its strength in the local body polls as well.