BRS MLA challenges Minister Ponnam Prabhakar over alleged fly ash scam

He announced that he would be at the temple at 11 am on Wednesday, demanding the Minister to join him and swear before God if he did not take money in the scam.

Hyderabad: Huzurabad MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy has thrown down the gauntlet to Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, daring him to take an oath at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Jubilee Hills here to prove his innocence in the fly ash scam.

He announced that he would be at the temple at 11 am on Wednesday, demanding the Minister to join him and swear before God if he did not take money in the scam.

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He added that if the Minister failed to turn up, he would release more evidence to the media. The row between the Minister and the BRS legislator was triggered after Kaushik Reddy alleged that Prabhakar accepted bribes to allow overloaded trucks to transport fly ash from NTPC.

Taking a serious view of this, the Minister issued legal notices demanding a response within a week. Kaushik Reddy said his legal team would respond appropriately. During a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday, Kaushik Reddy questioned the transportation of heavy loads of fly ash from NTPC.

“How can a lorry meant for 32 tonnes carry 80 tonnes? Why are these overloaded lorries still operating if the Minister is not involved?” he asked. He demanded the Transport Minister to take action against the lorries if he had no connection.

The BRS MLA also criticised the handling of Kalyana Lakshmi cheques in his constituency, accusing officials of delaying distribution without his knowledge. He blamed Prabhakar for dictating terms to the officials and restricting them from complying with requests from him as local MLA.

He also stated that there were serious protocol violations by the government against BRS MLAs and warned to take the matter to the High Court if protocol was not followed.

Responding to a question, Kaushik Reddy dismissed the impact of some BRS MLAs switching parties, asserting that the party remained strong under K Chandrashekhar Rao’s leadership. He stated that the BRS which had 34 MLAs, 28 MLCs and four Rajya Sabha members, would return to power.

He reminded that the Congress had only five MLAs and one MLC, before it came to power in Telangana. “We will expose any leader who left the party during tough times and ensure they do not return,” he said.