CM Revanth challenges KCR to prove innocence in power contracts hearing

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy challenged former CM and BRS president K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) to appear before the commission and prove his innocence against the allegations of irregularities in power purchases.

“The BRS chief is afraid to face the commission as irregularities amounting to several crores of rupees will be unearthed. KCR should appear before the commission and prove his innocence. The Supreme Court even ruled out the petition by BRS to scrap the commission and it didn’t give a clean chit to the former chief minister,” he said.

The fifth day of the Telangana Assembly sessions on Monday witnessed heated arguments between Congress and the BRS leaders on the power contracts during the previous BRS regime.

BRS asked for an inquiry into power purchases

The CM came down heavily on KCR, calling the former CM ‘successor of King Satya Harishchandra’ when it comes to power contracts.

While criticising the comments made by the BRS MLA and former minister Jagadish Reddy on the power sector, CM Revanth Reddy informed the House that the government had ordered the inquiry into the power purchased from Chhattisgarh and construction of Bhadradri and Yadadri power plants during the previous regime after the BRS member had sought the probe earlier.

"While conducting the inquiry chronologically, he (commission chairman) asked for details from the then concerned minister and the then chief minister. When the commission summoned them, their honesty would have come to the fore had they appeared before it as a responsible citizen and presented their arguments before the panel," he said.

Without appearing before the commission, the BRS leaders went to high court opposing the commission and its head. The court rejected their argument and the BRS leaders approached the Supreme Court. It favoured continuing the inquiry, while holding that quashing the probe is not possible, he said.

The apex court sought the state government's view on changing the head of the commission and the government had agreed to it. The new head of the commission would be appointed by Monday evening, the chief minister said.

He also alleged that the BRS government had benefited its benamies by providing civil works contracts to them from BHEL.

Referring to the comments made by BRS MLAs that the power sector was revived during their regime, the chief minister said, “By aiming to bring investments to Hyderabad and through it to boost the revenue in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu decided to provide 24/7 power supply. Even Dr YSR during his regime expanded it further and provided uninterrupted power supply to the IT and Pharma companies in the city.”

The BRS claimed credit for improving the power sector in Telangana, but it was former Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy and the then UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi who ensured, at the time of bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014, that Telangana does not face a crisis in the power sector, he said.

The power sharing was done on the basis of power consumption between Telangana and residuary (present) Andhra Pradesh, though assets and liabilities were shared on the basis of population in 42:58 ratio between the states. Thus, it was Jaipal Reddy, then PM Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi who saved Telangana from facing a power crisis, he added.

Jagadish Reddy dismissed the allegations regarding execution of civil works and defended the previous BRS government's decisions in the power sector.

On the inquiry commission, he said it is a right as per law even for a normal accused to seek justice when he felt aggrieved.