Telangana CM questions BRS’s silence on demand for Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation

Questioning Bharat Rashtra Samiti’s (BRS) silence on the demand for resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy alleged a tacit understanding between the BRS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Referring to the Intermediate examination paper evaluation controversy during the previous BRS regime, Mr. Reddy alleged that 27 students had died by suicide because answer scripts were not evaluated properly and demanded the party’s working president K.T. Rama Rao to apologise.

In an informal chat with reporters at the State Assembly, he alleged that the company responsible for the fiasco, Globerena, was a benami of KTR. He sought an apology from KTR for the fiasco and claimed the BRS-BJP understanding was clear as both failed to conduct exams properly.

Mr. Reddy alleged that the BRS had helped the BJP electorally, pointing to the BJP’s performance in Lok Sabha elections in Siddipet, Gajwel and Sircilla, represented in the Assembly by BRS senior leadership T. Harish Rao, KTR and the party president K. Chandrashekar Rao.

Defending his government’s initiatives, including the Socio-Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) survey 2024, Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency’s (HYDRAA) operations, recruitment drive and the decision to order a CBI inquiry into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, the Chief Minister praised HYDRAA for effectively protecting government lands and restoring lakes.

On SIR

Mr. Reddy described the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a crucial exercise and urged eligible voters to ensure that their names remained on the rolls. He said deletion of names from electoral rolls could also deprive people of access to welfare schemes. He said the remaining stages of the revision were particularly important and called Booth Level Agents (BLAs) the “most critical” link in the process. So far, 70% of the work is done, and the remaining 30% voters have to be mapped, and that was crucial.

Telangana CM on two votes controversy

The Chief Minister said he had transferred his own vote to Kodangal while refuting the controversy over two votes. He alleged that the revision exercise could disproportionately affect Dalit and tribal voters in villages and claimed that it was aimed at weakening the Congress vote bank.

On the Kaleshwaram project, Mr. Reddy reiterated that the government had referred the matter to the CBI based on the findings of the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission and the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA). He said the NDSA Chairman had personally inspected the project and experts had recommended against lifting the barrage gates.

Another dam needed near Medigadda

Mr. Reddy argued that another dam would have to be constructed near Medigadda if the water was to be stored and asserted that the Kannapalli pump house had been built during Mr. Harish Rao’s tenure as Irrigation Minister.

The Chief Minister claimed that Irrigationj portfolio was taken away from Mr. Harish Rao in the previous BRS government for corruption, and Mr. Harish Rao had remained silent on the NDSA’s observations. He also claimed that all pumps in the Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme were functioning and defended the government’s handling of irrigation infrastructure.

Highlighting the government’s employment initiatives, the Chief Minister challenged KTR to raise the issue of recruitment in the Assembly, and he was prepared to furnish a list of appointments made by the government. He said the government had filled 11,000 teacher posts within 55 days and contrasted it with the previous regime, accusing it of issuing recruitment notifications only to be marred by paper leak controversies.