Hyderabad, Jan 22 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao on Thursday alleged that the ongoing phone-tapping investigation is nothing but a diversionary tactic meant to shield administrative failures and protect Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s position.

Addressing the media at Sircilla, he claimed that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the government resembled a “daily television serial” rather than a genuine inquiry.

He asserted that notices were being issued selectively to opposition leaders purely for political mileage while senior police and intelligence officials who actually oversaw the system in the past were being kept away from questioning.

According to KTR, every government in the country relies on intelligence agencies for maintaining law and order and safeguarding stability. He argued that surveillance mechanisms have existed since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru and continue even today. Such systems, he maintained, function within the police and intelligence establishment and do not operate at the discretion of ministers or political executives.

He questioned why former intelligence chiefs and police directors — including current DGP Shivadhar Reddy, former DGP Mahender Reddy, ex-DGP and Home Secretary Jitender, and Ravi Gupta — were not being summoned by the SIT.

The BRS leader challenged the state government to produce at least one senior official who would publicly state that opposition leaders’ phones were not currently being tapped. He accused the administration of allowing selective leaks to the media while avoiding any formal press briefings or official clarifications.

He further accused the Chief Minister of using the controversy to buy time while travelling abroad, including visits to Davos and Harvard, claiming that instructions had been issued to keep the matter alive by sending notices to different BRS leaders on different days. Calling the case “baseless” and “trash,” KTR said even the investigating police officers were aware that nothing substantial existed.

KTR said the Congress failed to deliver on its electoral promises, including financial assistance to women and the implementation of six guarantees. He alleged that instead of addressing governance issues, the administration was constantly rolling out new controversies — ranging from Kaleshwaram to Formula-E, sheep procurement schemes and now phone-tapping — merely to divert public attention.

The BRS leader claimed that notices to Harish Rao were issued within hours of the latter raising allegations about irregularities in coal contracts at Singareni involving relatives of the Chief Minister.

He demanded that SIT probes instead be launched into allegations concerning Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and his family, and into claims against Srujan Reddy in connection with coal contracts and AMRUT projects. KTR said he had personally submitted documents in Delhi regarding the award of contracts under the central urban development scheme to firms allegedly lacking eligibility.

He also questioned why the Centre had not acted on recommendations made by a Supreme Court-appointed empowered committee regarding alleged irregularities worth Rs 10,000 crore in Gachibowli land transactions. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated remarks about an “RR Tax” operating in Telangana and Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that the state had become an ATM for Congress, KTR asked why no central agency investigation had followed.

–IANS

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