BRS denies allegations of supporting Mines and Minerals Bill

The party demanded Bhatti Vikramarka to withdraw his statements unconditionally, terming them baseless and misleading.

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi strongly refuted Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka‘s claims that the BRS supported the Mines and Minerals Bill 2015 in the Parliament. The party demanded Bhatti Vikramarka to withdraw his statements unconditionally, terming them baseless and misleading.

Speaking to the mediapersons at Telangana Bhavan here on Friday, former MP B Vinod Kumar said the bill, introduced by the Congress in 2011 under Manmohan Singh’s leadership, was later presented as an ordinance by the BJP following the UPA’s standing committee’s recommendations. He clarified that the bill was passed in the Parliament by a voice vote without their support.

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The former Parliament member demanded for halting the auction of Singareni coal blocks immediately. He stated that Singareni has coal reserves for a hundred years that should benefit Telangana’s development. He urged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and union Minister G Kishan Reddy to rush to Delhi and get the coal blocks reserved for Singareni.

In a separate press conference, former Minister G Jagadish Reddy criticised the Congress’s inconsistent stance on the Singareni auction, stating that Bhatti Vikramarka’s recent comments contradict his past actions. He urged Singareni workers to recognise the Congress and BJP’s double-standards. He demanded both the Centre and the State governments to clarify on the status of the Shravani block in the auction.

He reiterated the BRS party’s commitment to protect Telangana’s interests, calling out Kishan Reddy and the BJP for their attempts to undermine the State’s rights. He warned both the Congress and BJP against deploying diversion tactics, while attempting to weaken Singareni Collieries Company Limited.