New Delhi: YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) president Y.S. Sharmila Friday sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into what she claims is massive corruption in Telangana’s Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), and demanded President’s Rule in the state.
Sharmila — sister of Andhra CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and daughter of the late Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy, once CM of undivided Andhra — told the media in Delhi that corruption by the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (renamed Bharat Rashtra Samithi Wednesday) had led to an escalation of KLIP’s cost to Rs 1.20 lakh crore from Rs 40,000 crore.
Sharmila, who launched her party in Telangana last year, also hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly using the KLIP controversy to seek votes in the state but not ordering a probe despite having the power to do so.
“I’m nobody’s B team,” she said Friday, addressing mediapersons right after her visit to the CBI office in the national capital. “I’m aware that there are restrictions in the CBI’s powers to investigate matters in various states but in this project central agencies such as Power Finance Corporation (PFC), NABARD (National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development), Union Bank of India consortium, etc. gave about Rs 97,449.16 crore.”
“I have met the CBI director this morning and am told that given these are central funding agencies, that makes it possible for the CBI to probe the case. He has assigned a DIG-level officer to look into the matter,” Sharmila,
Her party, Sharmila said, plans to become the main challenger to Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao — popularly known as KCR — in the 2023 state assembly election, adding that the YSRTP would fight all assembly seats in the state alone.
Speaking to ThePrint, Krishank Manne, social media convenor of the TRS said Sharmila is reading the script of the BJP, adding that opposition parties are indulging in such propaganda and posing threats through CBI, ED, etc to stop CM KCR’s national party plans
“Sharmila’s act is like ulta chor kotwal ko dante (The pot calling the kettle black). In 2013, BJP demanded a CBI probe into Sharmila’s husband in a disproportionate assets case. Sharmila might be speaking from experience of how her husband made money out of Jala Yagnam (water worship) and turned it into Dhana Yagnam (money worship), but the Telangana Government has ensured transparency in every step of Kaleshwaram,” he alleged.
He said that the opposition is indulging in such propaganda as they are “unable to bear the sight of water, fisheries, no scarcity for drinking water and irrigation”.
“It is only to stop CM KCR’s national politics,” he claimed. He alleged that BJP uses the threat of CBI, ED, IT through its agents to deter other political parties and that Sharmila is now playing their game.
“We do not fear such baseless allegations and are ready to face any oppressive act by those in the Government of India,” he said.
The KLIP is a multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari in Kaleshwaram, Bhupalpally, which aims at diverting 195 thousand million cubic feet of water to the backward areas in the state. Initiated under KCR, the project’s foundation stone was laid in May 2016. The project was inaugurated in 2019.
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‘Gross irregularities in awarding contracts, collusion with contractor’
Sharmila told the media that she had submitted a complaint along with documents that she claims show collusion between the ruling party and the contractor of the project.
She claimed that the contractor got away with cost escalation and a reduction in the catchment area. In her complaint, a copy of which is with ThePrint, Sharmila claims that the largest value of contracts “went to a non-empanelled company, Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) in violation of the financial guidelines of the state as well as central government”.
Referring to the PSU Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and the Navayuga Group, the complaint goes on to claim that “gross and large numbers of irregularities have been committed in awarding the contracts to MEIL and Navayuga, and BHEL”.
It adds: “MEIL claims that it signed Rs 7,349 crore worth contract with BHEL whereas the actual procurement from BHEL was worth only Rs 1,686 crore… while Rs 550 crore worth motors were purchased, the figures were shown as Rs 2,251 crore. …against an actual purchase of the worth of Rs 529 crore, it was hiked to Rs 2,548 crore.”
Sharmila also blamed the TRS for what she called the financial woes of the state.
“In eight years we came from a surplus state to a state with debts of Rs 4.5 lakh crore. I am asking for President’s Rule in Telangana because KCR has no moral right to rule,” she told the media.
‘Why isn’t the BJP acting?’
Sharmila said she had been forced to launch her party last year because of “KCR’s misrule”.
“Everybody is aware of what is happening but opposition leaders in the state such as [Telangana Congress president] Revanth Reddy and [Telangana BJP president] Bandi Sanjay will not take it up. Multiple times central leaders have talked about it while in Telangana. They have said that Kaleshwaram is KCR’s ATM — finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has mentioned it, water resources minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has mentioned it,” she said.
Despite this, however, no action has been taken, Sharmila said.
“But I want to know why they will not act against him? Are you paid off? If you can talk about it when you come to our state, if you can seek votes talking about it, why will you not act against it,” she asked.
The “ATM” reference is from a speech made by BJP chief J.P. Nadda earlier this year in Hyderabad.
Sharmila also categorically denied that she had any plans for an alliance with BJP or any other party in Telangana, and alleged that leaders of the Congress — her late father’s party — had given in to KCR.
Asked why she chose to launch her own party rather than join the Congress — the main opposition party in the state — she said: “My father worked with the Congress for 30 years, helped it come to power not just in the state but also in the Centre”.
“But after his death, just to corner his son, the party lodged an FIR against him [for] corruption. The family will never forget that. Besides, they refused to hold an inquiry into the circumstances of his death,” she said.
‘Won’t fight elections in Andhra’
Asked why she chose to chart her own course rather than join the YSRCP headed by her brother, she said she wanted to launch a Telangana-centric party.
“I was born in Telangana, I studied in Telangana, I got married in Telangana, I had my children in Telangana. So that is where I will do my politics from,” she said. “KCR won a second term because there was no alternative. I intend to become that alternative and that is why I went on a padayatra. I intend to continue that.”
She said her party would not fight elections in Andhra and did not answer questions about the functioning of the government there. Her mother Y.S. Vijayalakshmi supports her move and will also campaign for her, she said.
With inputs from Rishika Sadam
(This report has been updated with comments from Krishnak Manne, social media convenor of the TRS)
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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