BRS leader imprisoned to cover up ‘scams’ in Singareni: KTR

Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday alleged that party leader and former MLA Balka Suman were imprisoned on fabricated charges solely to divert public attention away from the failures of the Congress government and the multi-crore coal scams unfolding within the public sector Singareni Collieries.

Accompanied by some BRS leaders, Rama Rao met Balka Suman in Chanchalguda Jail, where he is currently lodged after being arrested last week for allegedly inciting to attack Singareni property.

Later, talking to media persons, he stated that there is absolutely no question of the BRS being intimidated by the government’s illegal actions or threats of imprisonment, and warned that they would confront the Congress government and hold it accountable for jeopardising the livelihoods of Singareni workers.

KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known, claimed that the BRS party is exposing, with concrete evidence, the massive scams that have been taking place in the state ever since the Congress assumed power. He alleged that the BRS exposed a Rs 15,000 crore scam—perpetrated under the guise of ‘Site Visitation Certificates’—which was orchestrated under the direct supervision of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s brother-in-law, Srujan Reddy.

He recalled that BRS leader T. Harish Rao had exposed irregularities worth hundreds of crores in solar tenders. He said that, in the context of the Naini coal tender issue, a dispute over profit-sharing among the ministers and the Chief Minister escalated to the point where media representatives were arrested; ultimately, the tender in question had to be cancelled.

KTR noted that, during a meeting of the Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS), Balka Suman stood in solidarity with the workers and raised his voice against the injustices occurring within Singareni.

Lashing out at the current Congress government, he said that while 19,000 jobs in Singareni were provided on compassionate appointments through the Medical Invalidity Board during the BRS rule, this government has failed to convene Board meetings for the past 11 months, thereby doing a grave injustice to thousands of workers’ children. Moreover, he expressed outrage over Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka’s announcement in the Assembly that a vigilance inquiry would be conducted into the 19,000 jobs previously granted. He said this has caused significant anxiety and unrest among the workers.

KTR claimed that Balka Suman’s statement was distorted to book an illegal case against him under the PDPP Act. He said this was done solely to cover up the actual exploitation taking place within Singareni.

He noted that Balka Suman appeared remarkably courageous during their meeting. “No one should worry about me; jails and legal cases are nothing new to me. During the movement era alone, 220 cases were filed against me. Singareni workers in the Mancherial, Adilabad, and Ramagundam regions are seething with anger. Focus on their issues rather than on me; fight for their cause,” KTR quoted Suman as having told them.

KTR made it clear that the BRS would not be intimidated — whether Suman is kept in jail for another week or even a month — until the truth is fully exposed. He asserted that they would not rest until the Congress government’s irregularities and the exploitation within Singareni are brought to light.