Harish Rao dares Revanth Reddy to make SIT grilling public, calls for sitting judge probe
BRS leader and former Minister T Harish Rao dismissed the SIT questioning over phone tapping as “trash” and challenged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to make the proceedings public. He demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into alleged Singareni tender irregularities and accused the Congress government of internal rifts and scams.
Hyderabad: Challenging Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to make public the seven-hour questioning by the phone tapping Special Investigation Team, former Minister and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao on Tuesday dubbed the SIT notice served on him and the subsequent grilling as ‘trash’.
Demanding that the State government order a probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the Singareni tender irregularities, he said the BRS would place all evidence and documents before the probe team.
Harish Rao, who emerged from the SIT office at 6.30 pm with a victorious smile after the questioning that began after 11 am, said if Revanth Reddy failed to accept his challenge, it would be presumed that a scam had indeed taken place, involving the Chief Minister’s brother-in-law.
Addressing a press conference, the former Minister described the Congress dispensation as a ‘leaks and scams’ government, stating that there was nothing new in the SIT questioning.
“For every one hour, the three officials who were questioning me would receive a phone call, step out and then return to ask the same questions repeatedly,” he said, adding that a section of the media would again receive selective ‘leaks’ today.
Demanding that the entire questioning session be made public so that people could see the questions posed and his replies, he said the entire episode had exposed internal rifts over sharing benefits among the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy. People realised that the infighting among Ministers was over securing tenders and splitting commissions.
“It is only to divert public attention from this episode that the SIT notice drama is being enacted. As a law-abiding citizen, and with respect for the judiciary, I will appear before the SIT whenever required,” Harish Rao said.
“In a private complaint earlier, crores of public money were spent on hiring Supreme Court lawyers in an attempt to falsely implicate me. Even after the High Court quashed the case, the Revanth Reddy government approached the Supreme Court, which also struck it down, with justice prevailing. Despite this, attempts are continuing to trap me in another case by constituting an SIT. The findings of the PC Ghose Commission were proved wrong on the floor of the Assembly with evidence. The entire Telangana is watching these tactics,” he said.
“Revanth Reddy, if you have courage, face me politically, not through SIT notices. Let us debate your six guarantees, the crop loan waiver, land scams, power scams or any other scam, you name it,” Harish Rao said, adding that it was only a matter of two-and-a-half years before the BRS returned to power.
“We will order a probe and all these irregularities will be unearthed,” he added.
Earlier, BRS cadres who gathered outside the ACP’s office where the questioning was underway grew restless as the session stretched beyond seven hours and raised slogans against the Congress government.
Former TSMSIDC chairman Erolla Srinivas fainted amid the commotion when police attempted to disperse the crowd. Women supporters staging a protest were bundled into police vehicles and shifted from the spot.
However, the cadres returned repeatedly and, when Harish Rao stepped out, he was greeted with slogans of ‘Jai KCR’ and ‘Jai BRS’. He later proceeded to Telangana Bhavan, where he was warmly received by BRS working president KT Rama Rao and other BRS leaders.
With a jubilant smile, Harish Rao told reporters later that it was he who had questioned the SIT officials more than they had questioned him.
“I told them clearly that I have nothing to do with phone tapping and asked them to summon the then DGP Mahender Reddy and Intelligence chief Shivadhar Reddy for questioning,” he said.
“No matter how many conspiracies Revanth Reddy hatches, how many cases he books or notices he serves, the BRS will continue to question him and his government at every step,” he said, adding that the Chief Minister would have to answer these in the people’s court.
“Revanth Reddy’s political downfall is near. He is laying the foundation for his own downfall,” Harish Rao asserted.
