Hyderabad, Nov 4 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday threw a challenge to Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy to get an FIR registered by the CBI in the Kaleshwaram irrigation project case before November 11.

Coming down heavily on Kishan Reddy for not accepting the state government’s request to the Centre to order a CBI probe into the Kaleshwaram project scam, the CM dared the Union minister to file a CBI case against him.

He slammed the BJP for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) not registering the case even three months after the state government decided to entrust the case to the Central agency.

The Chief Minister was addressing a meeting as part of the Congress party’s campaign for the November 11 by-election to the Jubilee Hills Assembly seat.

Revanth Reddy recalled the Central minister’s statement that if the state government hands over the case to the CBI, former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) would be sent to jail in 48 hours.

“It was the BJP which made allegations that Kaleshwaram was an ATM for the KCR family. The Union ministers from Telangana also made comments that KCR and Harish Rao will be sent to jail in 48 hours if the case is handed over to the CBI. Now, the Union government took a U-turn and did not take any action despite the state government writing a letter to order a CBI investigation,” he said.

The CM also questioned Kishan Reddy for not giving approval for the arrest of BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao in the Formula E race scam.

“Even after seeking permission from the Governor to arrest KTR in the Formula E race case, there was no response for two months,” he said.

He reiterated that the BJP and BRS have a Fevicol bond.

Revanth Reddy alleged that the BJP was indirectly supporting BRS in the Jubilee Hills by-election and predicted that the BRS would merge with the BJP in the coming days.

He pointed out that KCR’s daughter, Kavitha, disclosed a proposal to merge BRS with the BJP.

The Chief Minister promised that the state government will allot 4,000 houses to the eligible poor in the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency soon after the by-election.

The Chief Minister claimed the People’s government extended welfare scheme benefits, including 14,197 ration cards, 200 units of free electricity to 25,925 families and 23,311 quintals of fine rice to the poor every month in the constituency.

–IANS

ms/uk