HYDERABAD: Rajya Sabha member and ruling TRS secretary general K Keshav Rao was in the centre of a political storm with regard to the Miyapur land scam on Saturday with opposition parties going hammer and tongs at him.
The BJP and Congress alleged that Rao’s family had bought 38 acres of forest and government land from Gold Stone Group directors, who are key accused in the land scam, for a pittance.
Thus, the scam, which has become a new weapon for the opposition to corner the ruling TRS in the state, took a new turn on Saturday. The Congress and BJP alleged that the land registration scam had taken place at the behest of TRS leadership. “Even as Chief Minister’s peshi and deputy CM Md Mahmood Ali’s role was suspected behind the scam, Rajya Sabha member K Keshav Rao’s role was also uncovered now.
Goldstone Technologies had registered 38 acres of land at Dandu Mylaram in the name of G Vijaya Lakshmi, daughter of Keshav Rao, his daughter-in-law and others. This is a clear example that how influential persons in the government helped the key accused in the scam, Goldstone Prasad, in grabbing government lands,” Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir and BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao, separately alleged.
Alleging that Keshav Rao was also one of the key persons behind the scam, both Congress and BJP demanded a CBI probe into the matter. BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao alleged that thousands of acres of land in Miyapur, Puppalaguda, Ibrahimpatam, Shamshabad and Dandu Mylaram had been usurped by land sharks like Gold Stone Prasad with open support of the top government heads.
“TRS leaders and ministers have been using Prasad as a conduit and occupying lands, and buying the same lands for pittance from his company. Using the government’s machinery in the revenue department, these lands are being registered on their families and benamis,” he criticised.
Meanwhile, rejecting opposition’s allegations, Keshav Rao said his family had not purchased the land in litigation. Keshav Rao said he had made an agreement with the land owner in 2013 and purchased it in 2015.
“The land was purchased after making proper enquiries with the revenue officials. A total of 50 acres were purchased after a thorough verification of land records. 38 acres of land in Ibrahimpatnam was purchased by my daughter and daughter-in-law. The land was not a controversial land,” he said.
Rao said the High Court too had earlier declared the land as a private land. He presented some documents relating to the clearances given by revenue department, during a press conference.