HYDERABAD: BRS working president KT Rama Rao alleged that the raids on the residence of his brother-in-law, Raj Pakala, were part of a conspiracy to suppress the main Opposition’s voice. He stated that even if arrests were made, BRS leaders would persist in their fight against the Congress government.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Rama Rao said Pakala did not invite relatives for his housewarming ceremony and hosted a Deepavali celebration at his new home. “Not a milligram of drugs was found during the raids,” he emphasised.
He accused the Congress government of failing to implement the six guarantees and of involvement in many scandals, including the Musi and Amruth tenders and the Civil Supplies scam. “For the last 11 months, we, as the main opposition, have been exposing the failures of the government and cornering them on these issues without compromise. They cannot answer our questions and are now targeting our family members, filing cases to intimidate us,” he claimed.
Won’t be cowed down by threats, says KTR
Rama Rao called the NDPS charges, despite no drugs being recovered, “a conspiracy to silence the main Opposition”. “(Chief Minister) A Revanth Reddy and Rahul Gandhi, we will not be cowed down by your threats,” he thundered.
Rama Rao questioned the need for permission to host a private gathering at one’s residence. He clarified that the location was not a farmhouse but a regular home where Pakala lived. Since Pakala couldn’t hold a traditional housewarming ceremony (Gruha Pravesham), he decided to organise a family function just before Deepavali, he said, adding that the event included Pakala’s 70-year-old mother and several children aged between two and seven years.
“Some are calling this gathering a ‘rave party’ purely for sadistic pleasure,” he remarked.
The BRS working president noted that while liquor may have been served along with dinner, he found it offensive that reports described the gathering as having “males and females” in attendance, saying instead, “It was husbands and wives and their relatives attending a family function.”
After 20 hours of searching, Rama Rao reported that officials found nothing incriminating. “The excise superintendent and circle inspector confirmed no drugs were found. Even the sniffer dogs brought in did not find anything,” he said.
Thirteen out of the 14 guests tested negative for drugs, including Pakala himself; only one guest tested positive, Rama Rao added, stating it was the officials’ responsibility to determine where that individual had taken drugs.
The only discrepancy found during the raids was the presence of seven or eight liquor bottles exceeding the permissible limit. “When no drugs were found, how could officials register cases under the NDPS Act?” he questioned. He also pointed out that Sections 25, 27, and 29 of the NDPS Act pertain to co-hosting, asking, “If there was no primary host, how can a co-host be implicated?”
“They found nothing. Face us politically — convene an Assembly session and discuss people’s issues. Suppressing our voices and harassing my family is unacceptable,” he said.
Referring to rumours that he had left the gathering five minutes before the raid, Rama Rao clarified that he had been with BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao in Erravalli until 8 pm and had gone home afterwards. He concluded by asserting that even if the BRS leaders were arrested, the party would continue its fight against the “Congress’ failures and corruption”.
Meanwhile, former minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav said that the government was targeting Rama Rao as he was “aggressively attacking” it. Vemula Prashanth Reddy termed it a political conspiracy that is aimed at making Rama Rao’s family members “scapegoats”.