HYDERABAD: The announcement by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in the Assembly that the state government would hand over the investigation into the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme to the CBI has set off a tremor through the BRS.
The Congress government’s decision to call in the CBI on the Kaleshwaram project has left the party leadership facing its most uncertain moment since losing power, though it has put on a brave face in public.
Former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his nephew, former irrigation minister T Harish Rao, are bracing for possible investigation, even as they rushed to the Telangana High Court seeking a stay. Their petition is likely to come up for hearing on Tuesday, a day many in the party see as make-or-break.
Despite the outward bravado of the top leadership, anxiety was writ large on the faces of many in the BRS ranks. MLAs, MLCs and district leaders whispered about the nightmare scenario: what happens if the High Court refuses relief and the CBI agrees to the state government’s request.
With 10 legislators having defected to the ruling Congress, fears are mounting that more could cross over once the investigation begins.
The family at the centre of the BRS is itself showing cracks. K Kavitha, MLC and daughter of KCR, who was earlier jailed in the Delhi liquor scam case, attacked Harish Rao and former MP Joginapally Santosh Kumar.
Her remarks have fuelled speculation of fresh factionalism at a time when the party can least afford it. “Why she chose to go public now, when pressure is already high, is the question everyone is asking,” a senior leader admitted.
A CBI investigation will also add to the turmoil in the party — BRS working president KT Rama Rao is under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Enforcement Directorate in the Formula E race case. These inquiries have unsettled cadres, with many privately questioning whether the party can withstand this legal and political onslaught.
The sense of siege is unmistakable. In the party office, one question is predominantly asked: Will the pillars of the pink party, KCR and Harish Rao, emerge intact from the CBI’s glare, or will the tremors split the edifice?
WILL WRITE TO CBI IN NEXT TWO DAYS: CM
HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday said that the state government will be writing to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) within the next couple of days, requesting a formal probe into the alleged irregularities in the execution of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. During an informal chat with reporters, the chief minister clarified the government’s position on the issue.
“The officials will take care of the formalities. The letter to the CBI will be sent shortly,” he said. When the media drew his attention to the legal challenges related to the CBI probe, Revanth pointed out that there was no need to revoke the earlier government order that restricted the entry of the CBI into the state without prior approval.
“The CBI does not enter a state on its own. It acts either on specific references from the government on a case-to-case basis or on the directions of the courts. Since the Telangana government itself is now requesting a probe, the CBI will take up the case,” he explained. He contrasted the CBI’s functioning with that of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), noting, “The ED is different. If any registered FIR contains sections that fall under its purview, it can step in suo motu.
But the CBI comes only when asked to or directed by courts.” The chief minister further underscored that the request for a CBI investigation was an administrative decision, not a political move. “We are seeking a probe from the Government of India, not from the BJP. The decision of the state government has no political connection,” he clarified.