HYDERABAD: Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, SC, ST Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar and Public Enterprises Minister Mohammed Azharuddin reached Gun Park in front of the state Assembly on Thursday and waited for BRS leaders to arrive for what they described as a public debate on the Gurukul procurement allegations.
Addressing the media, Prabhakar challenged BRS working president KT Rama Rao, former minister T Harish Rao and BRS leader RS Praveen Kumar to substantiate their allegations that the Congress government had indulged in large-scale corruption in procurements for Gurukul educational institutions.
“If your allegations are true, come for a discussion. The people of Telangana deserve to know the truth,” Prabhakar said, describing the allegations as “blatant lies”.
Prabhakar maintained that the procurement process was transparent and that tenders were floated under the supervision of four government departments, allowing any eligible bidder to participate. He said the Congress government was prepared to discuss not only the present procurement process but also procurement practices followed during the BRS government’s 10-year tenure.
Taking aim at Praveen Kumar, Prabhakar said the former IPS officer was making “irresponsible and baseless” allegations and urged him to exercise restraint.
“We are not cowards, but we will not participate in debates with just anyone,” Prabhakar said, adding that elected representatives were prepared to discuss the issue on the floor of the Assembly. He challenged Rama Rao and Harish Rao to raise the issue in the House if they had evidence to support their allegations.
Meanwhile, Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao reiterated his challenge to BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao to debate Telangana’s debt burden, saying he was prepared to resign if his claims were proved wrong.
Jupally alleged that the previous BRS government had left behind liabilities of about Rs 8.21 lakh crore and claimed the Congress government was paying nearly Rs 6,000 crore every month towards interest and loan repayments. He accused the BRS of misleading the public on the state’s finances and said he was ready to place official records before the people during a public debate.