HYDERABAD: Refuting the charges levelled by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, former irrigation minister T Harish Rao dared the government to order a probe into Dharani and Bhu Bharati transactions by a sitting Supreme Court judge.
Harish Rao told reporters that the chief minister was trying to divert people’s attention from pressing issues, including the Six Guarantees.
“We have disclosed all our assets in the election affidavits. Instead of responding to the issues raised by the BRS regarding prohibited lands, the chief minister launched a counterattack,” Harish Rao alleged.
He alleged that Revanth had failed to answer questions raised by the BRS on prohibited lands included under Section 22-A of the Registration Act.
“Everything Revanth Reddy has said is only half-truths and lies. If Rahul Gandhi goes to the Lok Sabha wearing a T-shirt and stickers, it is considered acceptable. But if BRS MLAs come wearing T-shirts, is that wrong? Are the rules of the Lok Sabha different from those of the Assembly?” Harish Rao asked.
“Till today, Revanth had alleged that KCR owned a 1,000-acre farmhouse. But now he had said KCR owned 67 acres. After the chief minister’s statement in the Assembly, I received information that Revanth Reddy, his family members and brothers owned 308 acres. Is it not a fact?” Harish Rao asked.
“Revanth Reddy made baseless remarks about KCR, the leader of the Telangana movement. They are trying to tarnish the image of a leader who risked his life and fought to achieve statehood for Telangana,” Harish Rao said.
He said that apart from the lands mentioned in his election affidavit, he did not possess a single extra acre. He said his relatives had legally purchased shares in a company and there were no irregularities in the transaction. Harish Rao demanded that the state government publish a white paper on the lands included in the prohibited list.
He alleged that 9,200 transactions had been carried out through the Bhu Bharati portal without the knowledge of the owners. “Why was the chief minister silent on this biggest scam? Congress leaders are resorting to irregularities in the name of Bhu Bharati. We have exposed Rs 10,000 crore worth of Nadurgul lands. But the government did not react to it. The government was also silent on the lands allotted to a company owned by the revenue minister’s brother and the conversion of land belonging to another brother of the chief minister.”
Harish Rao claimed that the BRS government had given sada bainamas to 11.19 lakh farmers and provided pattas to the poor through GOs 58 and 59. “But the Congress had failed to keep its assurances,” he alleged.
