Hyderabad: The political scene in Hyderabad is abuzz with discussions about the BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) and its attempt to target the Congress government over allegations related to the AMRUT 2.0 scheme (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation). The BRS claims that the contract for the scheme’s works was awarded in violation of central government guidelines.
BRS working president K T Rama Rao (KTR) has submitted a memorandum to Union Urban Development Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. In it, he accuses Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of awarding the contract to a company owned by Reddy’s brother-in-law. KTR has demanded action against the Chief Minister. However, Congress leaders have dismissed these claims, accusing KTR of making baseless allegations without proof.
Congress leaders argue that good speaking skills aren’t enough to make accusations. They emphasize that KTR has not provided any evidence to prove that the government made a mistake. They also suggest that KTR’s accusations question the decision of the Union Government, which had approved the contract.
The contract in question is said to involve a joint venture between a company related to CM Revanth Reddy and another agency, Indian Hume Pipe (IHP). The total value of the works under the AMRUT scheme is estimated to be Rs 1,200 crore.
KTR’s main concern is that the company’s annual profit does not exceed Rs 2 crore, which, according to him, makes the company ineligible to take up such a large project. He claims this is a violation of company laws.
The question now is whether the Union Ministry awarded the works to an unqualified company. According to the government, the tendering process was transparent, and the works were awarded after thoroughly checking the reputation of the joint venture between the two companies.
The Union Urban Ministry has stated that it followed all regulations and awarded contracts in line with the norms in every state. Congress leaders argue that KTR has made political allegations without providing any documentary evidence of wrongdoing. They challenge him to show any guidelines that prohibit the joint venture from taking up the works.
KTR also made other sharp remarks, such as accusing the Telangana government of turning the state into an ATM for Prime Minister Modi. He also criticized the collection of RR tax in Telangana, calling it irresponsible and unnecessary.
In addition, KTR vowed that his party, the BRS, would not allow the “incompetent government” in Telangana to continue. Senior leaders and ministers from the ruling party have responded by accusing KTR of having a destructive attitude. Since KTR also accused BJP MPs of protecting Revanth Reddy, political observers are now waiting to see how the state BJP responds to these allegations.
