Congress alleges partiality, prepares list of Telangana police, IAS, IPS officials favouring BRS

Hyderabad: The Telangana Congress party has made a list of IAS, IPS and senior officials within the Telangana government who they allege are working for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) instead of being neutral as administrators.

The list includes senior officials from the office of the Director General of Police, the intelligence department, principal secretaries in the state government and also officials from the revenue and municipal corporations of the state. This list was given to select party workers, urging them to flag activities by these officials that are favouring the ruling BRS during the elections.

Revanth Reddy, in a press conference on Wednesday, said, “There are retired officers and current officials working for the BRS from important positions, and they are misusing their power.”

Reddy said, “No funds should be released except pensions till elections. However, these officials are violating the rules and releasing funds for various government schemes. Finance Secretary Rama Krishna Rao has been in his current position since the formation of the state. In the last elections, voters waiting in line to vote received messages about Rythu Bandhu funds. We are going to be very vigilant and file complaints against them in the election commission this time.”

A special committee has been created where party workers and Congress supporters can complain about the activities of these officials favouring the ruling BRS. The committee will then file complaints with the Election Commission of India.

Tracking and tracing favouritism

The Telangana Congress party leaders have asked their cadre to watch out for suspicious activities at the ground level. Any instances of favouritism towards the government, booking of false cases, violating the rules and using the government machinery for party purposes will draw red flags. The list of officials has been given to a close confidante to keep a strict vigil on them.

Why is Telangana Congress closing in on officials?

Civil servants in government service must not carry out propaganda for the party in power. But in the case of the ruling BRS in Telangana, the Congress party alleged that the office-bearers are making public statements in favour of the government.

Bureaucrats and officials are working hand in glove in the process of electioneering. The police officials are not allowing the democratic process of protest when the opposition has grievances. “This is also a sign of misrule by the BRS government. Take the case of students or unemployed youth. When they protest the police call them to the police station. Why?” asked Sama Mohan Reddy, working for youth in the Congress party.

Who owns the seized money?

On October 10, Rs 3.35 crores was seized from a four-wheeler at Road No 3, Banjara Hills. “Whose money is this?” asked Abdullah Sohail, LB Nagar minorities president for Telangana Congress. “We are yet to declare our candidates. If the money has already started moving in the market, the police should declare who the money belongs to. Why is it not being done?”

The Congress party workers suspect that since the BRS MLA candidates have already been declared and the Model Code of Conduct is in place, the process of reaching out to voters with benefits has already begun.

“With a section of the state police and bureaucrats on their side, BRS is banking on them to win the elections. But there are many others in the government departments who do not approve of these methods,” explained a senior Congress official.

With allegations going back and forth, the government’s machinery is being openly questioned for its role in playing partisan politics in the electioneering process.