BRS demands judicial probe on 22A issue, seeks Ponguleti’s dismissal

The BRS has demanded a judicial probe and white paper into alleged irregularities in Telangana’s 22A prohibited lands list. Harish Rao accused the Chief Minister and Revenue Minister of failing to protect property rights and threatened to raise the issue in the Assembly.

Hyderabad: The Bharata Rashtra Samithi (BRS) held Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy responsible for the alleged irregularities in the 22A prohibited lands list and demanded a judicial probe by a sitting judge into the issue besides demanding a white paper on the issue, making the 22A list public, and removing the website restrictions.

The BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao also sought Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy’s immediate dismissal as Revenue Minister for failing to protect citizens’ property rights. Addressing a meeting of families affected by the 22A classification in Shapur Nagar on Tuesday, Harish Rao rejected the Revenue Minister’s claim that 98 per cent of the lands had been removed from the prohibited list. “If that is true, why are hundreds of victims still approaching us with their grievances?” he asked.

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Calling the 22A controversy a commission racket, Harish Rao termed the Chief Minister and the Revenue Minister as its “A-1 and A-2” and accused them of seeking a 50:50 share in commissions. He demanded an investigation into who ordered the inclusion of the lands in the prohibited list.

He said the government had erred by including private, registered and patta lands in the prohibited list. He asked why ordinary people should be made to submit applications and run around government offices to rectify the government’s mistake.

The BRSLP deputy leader stated that decades-old residential layouts, including Padmarao Nagar Phase-I, Spring Field and areas in Nizampet, had been included in the list. He alleged that middlemen were collecting money from landowners promising to resolve the issue, including claims of a Congress MLA from Mahbubnagar collecting Rs 30,000 each for villas and flats in Spring Field.

He pointed out that the issue extended beyond Hyderabad, with nearly one crore acres of land across Telangana being included in the list. He said such classification was affecting farmers’ access to Rythu Bandhu, fertilisers and electricity connections. He cited Bhimavaram in Khammam district and Chellur in Yadadri Bhongir district as instances where large portions of villages were allegedly included.

Harish Rao also questioned the inclusion of Ameenpur police station and even the Chief Minister’s residence in the 22A list. He said while government lands were being sold, including HMDA, TGIIC and Housing Board properties, ordinary citizens were being subjected to hardship.

“The Chief Minister handed over government land worth hundreds of crores to his brother, while private properties are being placed under 22A,” he said.

Harish Rao said details of victims who approached the BRS in Malkajgiri and Telangana Bhavan were subsequently considered for removal from the list, which indicated the impact of the party’s intervention. He reiterated that the BRS would raise the issue aggressively when the Assembly session begins on September 7. “We will disrupt the Assembly if necessary to ensure justice for the victims,” he said.