BRS alleges Rs 1,100 crore paddy tender scam, demands probe
BRS leader Peddi Sudarshan Reddy alleged a Rs.1,100 crore scam in the paddy tender process under the Congress government.
Hyderabad: Former MLA Peddi Sudarshan Reddy has accused the Congress government of orchestrating a Rs.1,100 crore scam in the Civil Supplies Department’s paddy tender process.
He alleged that the government was deliberately stalling legal proceedings in the case filed by the BRS in the Telangana High Court.
Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday, Sudarshan Reddy said only four bidders were allowed to participate in the tenders, with the price fixed at Rs.2,007 per quintal. However, millers were allegedly forced to pay up to Rs.2,230 per quintal, without any paddy being lifted. He claimed the money collected from millers was routed directly to the bidders’ accounts, bypassing the State treasury.
He said the government could have earned up to Rs.7,500 crore through the tenders but had not received even half the expected amount. He blamed the Congress for stalling proceedings in the High Court by seeking 16 adjournments in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the BRS.
The former MLA questioned why Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy were avoiding court appearances if they had done nothing wrong.
He further alleged that each Congress MLA had received Rs.10 crore from the scam proceeds, and large sums were routed to the party leadership in Delhi. Despite complaints being lodged with the Anti-Corruption Bureau and Vigilance authorities, no action was taken, he said.
Sudarshan Reddy said the BRS would approach the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and also stage a dharna in front of the Civil Supplies Bhavan, demanding a thorough probe.