‘Political vendetta, not probe’: BRS leaders slam Congress govt as SIT questions KCR

Senior BRS leaders launched a sharp attack on the Congress government after party president and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was questioned for hours by the SIT in the alleged phone-tapping case. Leaders termed the move as political vendetta and institutional harassment, accusing Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of misusing investigative agencies.

Hyderabad: Senior BRS leaders on Sunday mounted a fierce political offensive against the Congress government, over the Special Investigation Team (SIT) questioning of BRS president and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao in the alleged phone-tapping case, for several hours. They termed it as institutional harassment and a politically driven attempt to insult Telangana’s self-respect.

BRS general secretary RS Praveen Kumar stated that the case lacked substance and accused the government of using investigative agencies as political tools. He said Chandrashekhar Rao’s decision to appear before the SIT demonstrated his respect for the law, even as the party vowed to intensify its agitation.

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In a series of press conferences at Telangana Bhavan, Legislative Council Opposition Leader S Madhusudhana Chary questioned the autonomy of the SIT, asking whether it was acting independently or under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s direction. He said Chandrashekhar Rao agreed to cooperate with the probe despite systematic intimidation of party activists through police action.

BRSLP deputy leader P Sabitha Indra Reddy called the notices a clear act of vendetta. She argued that Chandrashekhar Rao, who led the Telangana movement and governed for a decade, was being targeted to divert attention from the Congress government’s failures.

She stated that the Congress was using investigations to shield itself from mounting corruption charges and warned that the move would backfire politically.

Former Minister V Sunitha Laxma Reddy said serving notices to Chandrashekhar Rao was an insult to the entire Telangana society and accused the police of overreach in cracking down on protesters. She claimed the government was resorting to diversionary tactics as internal disputes and alleged scams surfaced.

MLC Deshapati Srinivas accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of neglecting governance while pursuing vindictive politics. He said the probe was being prolonged for political mileage, and charged that the administration was more focused on targeting opponents than addressing public issues.

MLCs Naveen Kumar and Shambipur Raju stated that the probe was aimed at weakening the BRS ahead of municipal elections. They stated that in the politically provocative motive, the State government and police violated numerous laws and procedures, while serving notice to Chandrashekhar Rao.