Harish Rao demands Governor’s probe into secret GOs hiking movie ticket prices

BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao accused the Congress government of running a shadow administration after Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy distanced himself from GOs hiking movie ticket prices. Harish Rao demanded a Governor-led probe into alleged commissions linked to approvals, claiming administrative chaos in Telangana was worse than a suspense thriller.

Hyderabad: BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao on Sunday said the Congress government was running a shadow administration, after Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy publicly distanced himself from government orders (GOs) hiking movie ticket prices.

He demanded that the Governor order an investigation into the racket of commissions linked to ticket price hike approvals.

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In a statement, Harish Rao said administrative chaos in Telangana had reached a point where a bigger suspense thriller was unfolding in the Secretariat than in movie theatres. The GO increasing ticket prices was issued without the Minister’s knowledge.

“When a Cabinet Minister admits that he is unaware of decisions in his own department, what does it say about this government? Who is running the show?” he asked, likening the Revanth Reddy administration to a circus rather than a functioning government.

The BRS leader pointed out that the Chief Minister had earlier assured the Assembly that there would be no ticket hikes, no benefit shows and no preferential treatment by his government.

Even after the High Court reprimanded the government, Harish Rao said, GOs continued to be issued overnight, allowing price hikes for three films, with another approval expected soon. The government was misleading both the legislature and the public, he said, adding that Minister Venkat Reddy’s denial effectively suggested that the Chief Minister was overriding departmental authority.

Questioning the presence of certain “extra-constitutional forces” at the Secretariat and influencing decisions with commissions worth crores being collected behind the scenes, he said the BRS would soon reveal the full details.

The former Minister also said the Congress government was weaponising cinema-related permissions to settle political scores. One actor was targeted for praising former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s rule, while another was sent to jail for forgetting the Chief Minister’s name.

“But those favouring Revanth Reddy are receiving royal treatment with ticket prices touching Rs 600 for a week,” he said, warning that the Congress government’s arbitrary and biased decisions are destabilising an industry that won national and international accolades during the previous BRS regime.