BRS files ED complaint against Revanth Reddy on Rs 423 crore paddy procurement scam

BRS leaders lodged a complaint with the ED alleging a Rs 423 crore paddy procurement scam involving Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Civil Supplies officials. They claimed funds were siphoned off through money laundering and demanded a wider probe by central agencies

Hyderabad: BRS leaders filed a formal complaint with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the alleged paddy procurement tender scam involving around Rs 423 crore under the Congress government. They alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, and several officials of the Civil Supplies department were complicit.

The party is also planning to lodge similar complaints with the CBI and the Directorate of Intelligence.

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Speaking to mediapersons on Tuesday, former MLA Peddi Sudarshan Reddy said the Congress government had invited tenders involving around 35 lakh tonnes of paddy procurement. He alleged that bidders collected funds in addition to the bid amount, resulting in Rs 423 crore being siphoned into private accounts through money laundering.

“We have compiled over 700 pages of evidence, including details of accounts where illegal payments of Rs 2,230 per tonne from rice millers were deposited,” he said.

Former Minister Gangula Kamalakar said the irregularities deprived the State treasury of substantial funds. “Complaints by the BRS at Panjagutta police station went unregistered, while FIRs are freely filed against BRS activists even for social media posts,” he said. He also claimed the BJP’s silence on the issue raised questions about a possible Congress-BJP understanding in the scam.

He stated that despite the BRS repeatedly raising the issue both inside and outside the Assembly, the Congress government remained silent and was evading filing a counter in the case filed in the High Court.