Luxury car smuggling row: Bandi Sanjay claims KCR, KTR part of conspiracy; BRS hits back

Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Monday targeted the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leadership, including former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) and his son and former minister KT Rama Rao (KTR), for their alleged connections to a luxury car smuggling racket.

While the BJP leader called for a thorough investigation, BRS leaders, in a counter-attack, pointed fingers at Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and the BJP.

KTR seen in Land Cruisers sold by a tainted businessman

Bandi Sanjay, in a post on X, questioned the BRS’s alleged involvement, asking, “Is Car Party running on smuggled luxury cars?” The BRS’s election symbol is a car and Sanjay’s post directly linked the party to a customs duty evasion case involving high-end vehicles.

He specifically targeted KTR, questioning why he was allegedly seen in Land Cruisers imported by Basarath Ahmed Khan, a luxury car dealer arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Ahmedabad.

Sanjay further alleged that the vehicles were registered with companies linked to KCR’s family, raising questions about whether the cars were bought at market price or were undervalued. He also probed the payment methods, suggesting the use of ‘benami,’ ‘masked income,’ and money laundering.

“Doesn’t this make KCR’s family direct beneficiaries of the conspiracy? Truth must come out. We will request concerned departments to investigate,” he wrote.

BRS blames Revanth Reddy, BJP

In a sharp rebuttal, BRS leader Krishank Manne defended his party and questioned the BJP’s focus. Manne, in his own post, accused Telangana BJP leaders of targeting KTR while sparing Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.

“If buying a car from a car dealer is a crime, then MoS Home should arrest all Congress Leaders and BJP leaders who purchased cars from this dealer,” Manne wrote. He also shared photographs of CM Revanth Reddy and other Congress leaders with the car dealer, Basarath Khan.

Manne implied a political motive behind the allegations, asking, “Why don’t you question Revanth’s involvement. Is it that Revanth is protecting you from your granite collections?”

He also accused Bandi Sanjay of ‘foul mouthing’ and filing a caveat, a legal procedure to prevent a court from taking action without first notifying the other party, suggesting the BJP was anticipating legal action from the BRS.