HYDERABAD: Calling IT Minister and TRS working president KT Rama Rao’s allegation that BJP’s candidate for Munugode by-election Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy shifted his loyalties to BJP only to secure a coal contract for Rs 18,000 crore as part of a quid pro quo deal as ‘plain lies,’ former MP and chairman of BJP’s Munugode by-election steering committee G Vivek Venkataswamy has said that the Minister was making wild allegations only due to fear of losing the by-poll.
Addressing media persons at the BJP party office here on Saturday, Vivek clarified that as per the 2012 order of the Supreme Court an international competitive bidding process was initiated by the Centre through Coal India to allocate coal blocks.
As part of the tenders called for, Rajagopal had placed a bid for selling coal at Rs 620 per tonne to the government, whereas two other bidders quoted Rs 840 and Rs 1,200 per tonne respectively, explained Vivek. He said that Coal India had finally agreed to Rs 540 per tonne and Rajagopal accepted the contract. Vivek alleged a Rs 20,000 crore scam in the allocation of the Tadicherla coal block to AMR India Limited by the State government.
“The State government has awarded the contract to AMR through GENCO to buy coal at Rs 3,500 per tonne - almost Rs 3,000 per tonne more than what Rajagopal has accepted,” alleged the BJP leader.