KTR launches scathing attack on PM Modi for ‘political witch hunt’ against Oppn parties

KT Rama Rao declared that the BRS was ready to face any consequences and would approach the courts for justice

Hyderabad: In a full throttle attack, BRS working president and Minister KT Rama Rao went all guns blazing against the BJP and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for targeting the BRS and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao under the guise of investigation into the Delhi excise policy case. He termed the cases against the BRS Ministers and elected representatives including MLC K Kavitha as “political witch hunt”. He also posed several questions to the Prime Minister over inaction against industrialist Gautam Adani and the BJP leaders facing charges from the Central agencies.

Reacting to the ED summons to MLC Kavitha, Rama Rao termed the “ED summons” as “Modi summons”. He said upon realising that the BRS was turning out to be a threat at the national level, the Modi government implicated nearly a dozen BRS leaders including Ministers, MPs and legislators and was now conspiring against MLC K Kavitha. He declared that the BRS was ready to face any consequences and would approach the courts for justice.

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The BRS working president argued that the ED and CBI raids on the Opposition parties were aimed at eradicating democracy in the country. “More than 95 percent of raids conducted by the ED were on Opposition party leaders. However, conviction was only in 23 cases of over 5,422 cases filed since the Modi regime began in 2014,” he told the mediapersons at Telangana Bhavan on Thursday.

Mincing no words in attacking Modi, he said the BJP’s double engine meant one engine was Modi and another Adani. “One is a political engine and another a financial engine. Together, ‘Modani’ created a nefarious system where Modi markets or manipulates for Adani and gets him projects following which the latter diverted the profits to the former through electoral bonds and donations to the BJP which in turn used the money to split the Opposition parties and topple the governments,” he accused.

Rama Rao demanded to know why does not the Prime Minister clarify on the allegations against him or Adani. “We’re saying Gautam Adani is a proxy of Narendra Modi. Will the Prime Minister take a lie detector test? Does he have guts to come out clean in front of the country? Can he even dare to issue a statement? Is everyone in BJP a relative of Raja Harishchandra?,” he challenged. He reminded that despite the Hindenburg report which exposed the gaping loopholes in the Adani Group and over Rs 11 lakh crore evaporating from the stock markets, neither Prime Minister Modi nor Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman have responded so far.

Answering a volley of questions, the BRS working president made it clear that none in Telangana would fear Modi summons and instead, were prepared to face any investigation into the allegations levelled by the ED. “Kavitha was served notices in the Delhi excise policy case. Unlike BJP leader BL Santosh, who has been evading questioning even after being named in the MLAs poaching case, she, being a law-abiding citizen, will appear for questioning at the ED office in Delhi,” he said.

Rama Rao reminded that the BJP’s strategy was either “Jhumla or Humla”. To cover up its inefficiency and divert public attention from rising prices and other issues, the BJP is targeting the Opposition parties and harassing them using the Central agencies. “Ministers G Gangula Kamalakar, Ch Malla Reddy, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, G Jagadish Reddy, MPs Nama Nageshwara Rao, Vaddiraju Ravichandra, Parthasaradhi Reddy, Manne Srinivas Reddy, MLC L Ramana, MLA Manchireddy Kishan Reddy, Pilot Rohith Reddy and now MLC Kavitha, were all targeted by the Central agencies at the behest of the BJP bosses.

KTR on Media

In a critical remark, BRS working president KT Rama Rao said the media was scared to question Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his actions. The media has lost its spine, he stated. “Modi has no guts to face the media directly. But as he did not hesitate to order IT raids on even the BBC, no media house is willing to take any risk,” he said.

Rama Rao said the BRS respected journalists and even their managements, but the latter were not in a position to question the Modi government due to the conditions prevailing in the country. He pointed out that Namasthe Telangana and Telangana Today newspapers were banned by the BJP in its State office. The Central agencies raided the offices of Andhra Prabha newspaper and yet none have questioned it, he added.

KTR questioned Central agencies over their inaction on five scams involving the Modi-Adani duo

• 42 deaths due to illicit liquor consumption in Gujarat, where prohibition is in force.
• Centre mandates to States for purchase of imported coal from Adani Group for power generation.
•  Awarding six airports to Adani Group against recommendations of the NITI Aayog and the union Finance Ministry.
• No investigation into more than 3,000 tonnes of drugs worth over Rs 21,000 crore seized in the Gujarat ports operated by the Adani Group.
• Transfer of authority to Adani Group to run operations at Krishnapatnam, Gangavaram ports and Mumbai airport which were held by other companies earlier.

KTR’s posers to PM Modi and BJP

• What happened to the cases filed by the ED, I-T and CBI against politicians like MPs Y Sujana Chowdhary, CM Ramesh, Assam Chief Minister Hemant Biswa Sharma, and scores of others who appear to have found safe haven after joining the BJP?
• Why no action into allegations by the Sri Lankan Minister who termed the Adani Group’s MoU with the Sri Lankan government as a Government-Government business deal?
• What is the status of 5,422 cases filed by the ED since 2014?
• Why no action has been initiated against BJP MLA Virupakshappa’s son who was caught red-handed in Karnataka taking Rs 40 lakh bribe on camera?
• Why Prime Minister Modi shies away from facing the media? Why not answer the allegations over his nexus with Adani?
• How the BJP local leaders are aware of the arrests and action against the Opposition leaders even before the Central agencies step in Hyderabad