KCR files interim petition in HC to evade coercive steps amid probe
Calling the Justice P C Ghose commission report on the Kaleshwaram project “trash,” BRS working president K T Rama Rao vowed to continue both a legal and political fight against the Congress government’s conspiracy to permanently close down the project, which he said was the lifeline of Telangana
Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Monday raised a hue and cry over the decision of the Congress government to order a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged irregularities in the construction of Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project on Godavari river.
Calling the Justice P C Ghose commission report on the Kaleshwaram project as “trash,” BRS working president K T Rama Rao vowed to continue both a legal and political fight against the Congress government’s conspiracy to permanently close down the project, which he said was the lifeline of Telangana.
BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao and former irrigation minister T Harish Rao filed an interim petition in the state high court, seeking a direction to the state government not to take any coercive steps in the wake of its decision to hand over the case to the CBI, people familiar with the matter said.
Arguing on behalf of KCR and Harish Rao, senior Supreme Court advocate Aryama Sundaram brought to the notice of the court that the state advocate general had earlier informed the court that action would be taken only after a discussion in the assembly.
“However, contrary to that assurance, the government decided to hand over the case to the CBI without a resolution in the assembly,” Sundaram said, and urged the court to issue orders directing the government not to proceed with further action.
The high court bench, comprising chief justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and justice G M Mohiuddin, rejected the request and said it cannot give any such direction to the government. The bench directed the advocate general to ‘get instructions’ from the government on what action it would like to take on the judicial commission report by Tuesday.
As the state assembly witnessed a marathon debate on the Ghose commission report till 2 am, the BRS members staged a walkout from the assembly and marched towards the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial in the Gun Park opposite to the state legislature, where they threw the Ghose Commission report into a dustbin and raised slogans against the government.
The BRS announced a statewide agitation across Telangana, protesting against the Congress government’s alleged conspiracy to undermine the Kaleshwaram project and target KCR politically.
KTR told the party workers to take up dharnas, road blockades, bike rallies and other forms of protest in mandal and district headquarters in the next two days.
“Handing over Kaleshwaram to the CBI is nothing but a ploy to shut down the project. Revanth Reddy, who until yesterday opposed the CBI, suddenly changed his stance overnight. People must know who is behind this,” he said, terming it as a clear conspiracy hatched by the Congress and the BJP.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president B Mahesh Kumar Goud said the state government had decided to entrust the Kaleshwaram irregularities case to the CBI because it had inter-state ramifications and involved central government undertakings.
He said the Ghose commission report clearly nailed KCR and Harish Rao for their role in the Kaleshwaram irregularities. “If we order a probe by SIT or the CID, the opposition would have alleged that they are being managed by the Congress. That’s why, for transparency, the government decided to hand it over to the CBI,” he said.
He pointed out that the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders used to allege that Kaleshwaram project was like an ATM for the BRS and KCR and were demanding that the case be handed over to the CBI. “Now they have a chance to prove their honesty by ensuring a transparent inquiry by the CBI,” Goud said.
Senior BJP leader and Union minister of state for home affairs Bandi Sanjay said the decision of the Revanth Reddy government to hand over the case to the CBI clearly vindicated the BJP stand. “The BRS is solely responsible for the irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project,” he said.
Sanjay, however, found fault with the Congress government for wasting 20 months in the name of vigilance probe and judicial probe. “It has dodged in taking a decision on handing over the case to the CBI only to protect the BRS leaders,” he alleged.
