BRS urges Centre to act on AMRUT scam

Hyderabad, Nov 12 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao on Tuesday demanded the Centre act on the alleged AMRUT scam in Telangana and said that this is a litmus test for the BJP to demonstrate sincerity in rooting out corruption.

He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond to alleged corruption in the tender process for awarding works under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, he agreed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegation that Telangana has become an ATM for Congress but asked why he was not taking action.

“Will you or will you not act on the AMRUT scam in Telangana? This will be a litmus test for BJP leadership in Delhi,” he said

Regarding Prime Minister Modi’s allegation of ‘RR Tax’, he said it was not enough to make accusations about ‘Rahul and Revanth Tax’ in Telangana without any action.  

Prime Minister Modi must take immediate steps to address the corruption concerns tied to the AMRUT tenders as BRS has submitted substantial proofs about the corruption to the central government, he said.

KTR along with BRS MPs met the Union Minister for Urban Development Manohar Lal Khatter yesterday and submitted a representation for taking an enquiry and the cancellation of AMRUT tenders. 

“He requested time until the upcoming parliament session to gather information and initiate appropriate action. If the central government does not address the corruption in the AMRUT tenders during the parliamentary session, we will bring this issue to the forefront in Parliament, particularly in the Rajya Sabha” KTR said.

The BRS leader alleged that AMRUT tenders were awarded to family members of the Chief Minister and other ministers.

KTR reiterated that there was corruption within AMRUT tender process, valued at over Rs 8,888 crore. He claimed that details about the tenders are not being disclosed, even under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

According to KTR, tenders were awarded to Shoda Constructions, a company tied to the Chief Minister’s brother-in-law, Sudini Srujan Reddy, despite the company’s lack of necessary qualifications. 

He further alleged that Indian Hume Pipe Company, a qualified firm, was used as a front while the bulk of the work went to Shoda Construction, which has a limited annual profit.

He said out of six packages awarded under AMRUT, one package worth Rs.1,137 crore went to Shodha Construction.

He also alleged that one of the tenders was given to Raghava Construction, which belongs to son of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy. He asked how a minister who sits in the Cabinet can give tender to his own’s company.

The BRS leader asserted that this is a prime example of crony capitalism, echoing statements made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He demanded that the central government cancel these AMRUT tenders immediately and alleged that the Chief Minister has also violated the Office of Profit Act, referencing Article 191 of the Constitution. 

KTR warned that such violations could result in leaders like Revanth Reddy and Ponguleti losing their positions in line with Sonia Gandhi losing her post in the UPA term in the past.

KTR accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of deceiving the people of Maharashtra with unfulfilled promises, claiming that Telangana’s state government funds, totalling Rs 300 crore, are being misused to spread misleading information in Maharashtra. 

According to him these funds, which were supposed to be allocated for local development projects and promises made to the people of Telangana, are instead being diverted for campaign purposes through advertisements. 

He argued that the government is using hundreds of crores to advertise the implementation of promises that have not been fulfilled in Telangana.

KTR appealed to Maharashtra voters to support regional parties rather than national parties like Congress and BJP, emphasizing that regional parties have been more effective in countering BJP in states like Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, while Congress, he argued, has proven unable to do so.