Harish Rao asks Congress to focus on public issues, pending promises

Former minister T Harish Rao accused the Congress government of targeting BRS leaders over allegations concerning 22-A lands and other land issues. He questioned the survey of his agricultural lands and urged Congress leaders to focus on public issues

Siddipet: Former minister T Harish Rao said the Congress government was targeting BRS leaders because they had started exposing what he alleged were land scams involving the government, Congress leaders and their kin.

Speaking to reporters in Siddipet on Friday after Congress leaders visited his agricultural lands near Ramancha in Chinna Kodur mandal, Rao said the BRS had exposed the Congress government over the inclusion of 30 lakh acres in the 22-A prohibited list.

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Harish Rao questioned why the Congress government, which had been in power for the last three years, had not conducted any survey during the period. He accused the government of targeting BRS leaders after they raised allegations concerning 22-A lands and alleged land scams involving Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his brothers, as well as Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and his sons.

As BRS leaders had been raising allegations concerning Congress leaders’ land dealings by visiting various districts, the former minister alleged that Revanth Reddy had decided to counter the BRS leaders and divert attention from the actual issues instead of addressing public concerns.

Accusing Congress leaders of trying to evade the issue, Rao said the people of Telangana knew what was happening. He said BRS leaders had listed their properties in their election affidavits and that the details were available in the public domain through the Election Commission of India (ECI) website.

Rao also expressed disappointment over the suspension of BRS MLAs and MLCs from the entire Assembly session. Referring to BRS MLC Tata Madhusudhan’s remarks, he said the MLC had not made the comments against Assembly Speaker G Prasada Rao. Rao alleged that the Speaker suspended BRS MLAs and MLCs because the Congress was worried that it would be exposed on various public issues.

On learning about the Congress MPs’ visit to his agricultural lands, Rao said he had welcomed them. He said he would have taken the MPs to every corner of his lands if they genuinely wanted to examine them.

Stating that more than 3,000 residential houses in Siddipet alone had been placed on the 22-A prohibited list, Rao said even the houses of police and revenue officials had been included.

Apart from showing his agricultural lands to the MPs, Rao said he would have brought several other issues, including those related to 22-A, to their notice. He said he wanted to show them the dried-up Ranganayaka Sagar and raise the issues of power cuts and other public concerns with the visiting MPs.

Rao said Congress leaders should focus on public issues and pending promises instead of targeting Opposition leaders for raising people’s concerns.