KTR and Harish Rao Are Competing to Take Control of BRS: Minister Vivek Venkatswamy
Singareni Was Looted to Divert Funds to Siddipet and Sircilla
Where Did ₹1,400 Crore in the BRS Party Account Come From?
Minister Vivek Venkatswamy Addresses Press Conference in Mandamarri
Mandamarri, July 13: Minister for Labour, Employment, Training, Factories, Mines and Geology, Dr G. Vivek Venkatswamy, alleged that an intense power struggle is underway between K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) and Harish Rao over control of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
Addressing a press conference in Mandamarri on Monday, the Minister said that whenever KTR addresses the media, Harish Rao follows the very next day on the same issue in an attempt to assert his dominance. He remarked that the people of Telangana are closely watching this internal battle and the political drama unfolding within the BRS.
Dr Vivek questioned recent statements by BRS leaders claiming that water could be pumped without storing it in barrages. If storage was never necessary, he asked, why did the previous government spend thousands of crores of public money constructing those barrages? He demanded that former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), Harish Rao and KTR explain this to the people of Telangana.
The Minister said the previous BRS government burdened Telangana with massive debt in the name of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project and is now contradicting its own justification for the project. He alleged that flaws in the project’s design and engineering under KCR’s leadership led to its failure. He also noted that despite Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy inviting KCR to participate in a special Assembly discussion on the issue, the former Chief Minister has chosen not to attend.
Recalling the views of late Union Minister Kaka Venkatswamy, Dr Vivek said that had the project been constructed at Tummidihatti as originally suggested, the present situation could have been avoided. He further criticised the enormous electricity burden of the lift irrigation system, stating that annual power costs of nearly ₹10,000 crore are ultimately borne by the people, while contractors emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of the previous government’s policies.
The Minister questioned how the BRS, which had virtually no funds during the Telangana statehood movement when people contributed from their own pockets, accumulated ₹1,400 crore in its party account after ten years in power. He demanded that the BRS leadership explain the source of these funds and alleged that the KCR family amassed wealth through large-scale land transactions around Hyderabad and developed sprawling farmhouses.
Recalling Singareni’s financial crisis in the past, Dr Vivek said the company had once come under the purview of the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR). He credited late Union Minister Kaka Venkatswamy with persuading then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao to facilitate an NTPC loan of ₹400 crore, which helped revive the company and protect nearly one lakh jobs. He said that because of this intervention, Singareni employees continue to receive provident fund and pension benefits.
The Minister alleged that during the previous BRS government, with the support of then MLA Balka Suman, District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds belonging to Singareni were diverted to Siddipet, Sircilla and Gajwel. He added that farmers in Devulawada, Babber Chilka, Lakshmipur and Shivaram, who suffered due to Kaleshwaram backwaters, were denied compensation for five years. After the Congress government assumed office, ₹33 crore was released towards land compensation, while an additional ₹2.08 crore was sanctioned for Shivaram farmers following discussions with Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, he said.
Dr Vivek further alleged that the previous BRS government failed to secure preferential allocation of coal blocks for State public sector undertakings despite the Centre providing the opportunity to do so. He criticised Balka Suman for failing to take the initiative and accused the BRS of adopting a double standard by supporting coal mine auctions in Parliament while opposing them in Telangana.
He also alleged that Balka Suman, out of political frustration, incited violence at Kyathanpalli and even called for setting fire to a Singareni building.
The Minister said that after the Congress government assumed office, the State, with the support of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, successfully secured the Tadicherla-2, RK-5 and KK-6 coal mines. Once the required forest clearances are obtained, mining operations will commence, creating thousands of employment opportunities, he said.
He further alleged that the Tadicherla mine had earlier been handed over to a private AMR company after the then CMD, acting under pressure from KCR, falsely claimed that the coal reserves were not commercially viable.
Dr Vivek clarified that the present government is ensuring that DMFT and CSR funds are utilised exclusively in Singareni-affected areas such as Chennur, Mandamarri and Kyathanpalli for improving roads, drainage systems and drinking water infrastructure.
He said two Advanced Technology Centres are being established in Mandamarri and Chennur to provide modern skill development. Through German language training, the government aims to facilitate employment opportunities in Germany for local youth with salaries of around ₹2 lakh per month within the next three to four months.
The Minister also announced that the expansion of the Jaipur Thermal Power Plant is expected to create another 5,000 jobs. Under the AMRUT scheme, household tap water connections are being provided, while development works worth ₹6.30 crore from the Ambedkar statue to the Tank Bund under Pushkaram funds will commence shortly.
Appealing to the people, Dr Vivek Venkatswamy urged them not to be misled by false propaganda and to continue supporting the State government’s development initiatives.
