Hidden face revealed: Hyderabad MLA plans escape via defection route

The MLA is allegedly jumping ship after getting an assurance that he would be protected in the Congress.

Hyderabad: A city MLA, who was surreptitiously attempting to encroach government land and plots belonging to poor farmers, is reportedly planning to defect from the BRS and join the Congress, after the BRS found that he was the person behind several land litigations the previous BRS government was fighting in court. The MLA is allegedly jumping ship after getting an assurance that he would be protected in the Congress.

With the BRS coming to know about his hidden involvement in some land deals, his previous activities were checked and it was found that he was making similar attempts for quite a long time. One such instance was where he acted as a mediator in a dispute between farmers in Sultanpally and an MP in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh over about 200 acres in Sultanpally and made both sides hand over the land to a private company. The mediator act got him benefits.

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However, the BRS government fought the case in the court and accordingly the matter is mentioned as “legal litigation” in the Dharani portal, thus obstructing mutations. This apart, another 181 acres land parcel in Shamshabad, which belonged to HMDA, was also under the scanner of the said MLA, who along with a relative, tried to encroach the lands. The BRS government had fought the case in Supreme Court and it was declared that the lands belonged to HMDA.

Similarly, there were 385 acres of assigned lands in Syedguda, Chinna Golconda and Pedda Golconda panchayats limits in Shamshabad mandal. The MLA had threatened farmers and attempted to change revenue records, but the BRS government obstructed the moves and stalled the registration.

In another instance in Ghanmiyaguda, there were Jagirdari lands that were encroached. The MLA is said to have managed to secure about five acres here and constructed a guest house. Interestingly, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, when he was with the Telugu Desam Party, had staged protests and demanded that the lands be distributed among the poor.

Though the MLA tried to get the lands converted as patta lands, he was unsuccessful. It is learned that he has got an assurance that he would be protected even if the BRS revealed these dealings of the MLA, which is why he is planning to defect to the Congress.