Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K T Rama Rao
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: A delegation of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), led by its Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR), met the Governor at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday and submitted a detailed representation highlighting what the party termed as serious instances of corruption and financial irregularities under the Congress government, particularly in the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).
The BRS team comprising Members of Parliament, Members of the Legislative Assembly and Council, and senior party leaders presented documentary evidence related to alleged misuse of public funds, irregular tendering processes, and inflated project costs in mining and solar power projects undertaken by Singareni.
Addressing the media after the meeting, KTR said that the party had formally brought to the Governor’s notice the alleged “large-scale plunder” in Singareni and the government’s failure to provide credible explanations despite repeated disclosures made by BRS leaders, including former minister and Assembly Party Deputy Leader T Harish Rao.
He stated that after BRS exposed the issue with supporting documents, the ruling party was unsettled, and instead of responding to the substance of the allegations, was attempting to divert public attention by summoning individuals in the name of inquiries.
KTR alleged that the Chief Minister’s silence on the matter had led to widespread public anger in coal-mining regions, remarking that workers increasingly felt that the state leadership was shielding what he described as a “coal mafia.”
He further accused the government of misusing nearly Rs 10 crore of Singareni funds for purposes unrelated to the core functioning of the company, asserting that this amounted to grave injustice to the institution and its employees.
The BRS Working President raised several pointed questions regarding a newly introduced “Site Visit Certification” clause in tender processes, something he claimed had never existed earlier in Singareni or in coal mines elsewhere in the country. He questioned why tenders that earlier attracted bids at rates below estimates were cancelled, only to be re-issued later with the new clause, allegedly resulting in costs rising well above projected values.
KTR also questioned whether contractors were being selectively favoured and sought clarification on alleged links between certain beneficiaries and relatives of the Chief Minister. On solar power projects, he alleged that while the national average cost stood at Rs 2.5–3 crore per megawatt, Singareni projects in Telangana were tendered at nearly Rs 7 crore per megawatt, calling for an explanation for what he termed as a massive escalation.