Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao accused the ongoing phone-tapping investigation of being a diversion to shield administrative failures and protect Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. Speaking in Sircilla, he likened the government’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) to a “daily television serial” rather than a genuine inquiry. Rao criticized the selective targeting of opposition leaders for political gain while key police and intelligence officials were not being questioned.
Rao highlighted the historical reliance of governments on intelligence agencies for maintaining law and order, emphasizing that surveillance mechanisms have been in place since Jawaharlal Nehru’s time. He questioned the absence of former intelligence chiefs and police directors in the SIT’s inquiries, including notable names like DGP Shivadhar Reddy and former DGP Mahender Reddy. Rao challenged the government to present a senior official denying the tapping of opposition leaders’ phones.
The BRS leader accused the Chief Minister of using the controversy to distract from governance issues while traveling abroad. Rao labeled the case as “baseless” and criticized the administration for selective media leaks without official clarifications. He alleged that the government was creating controversies to divert public attention from unfulfilled promises and governance failures.
Rao demanded SIT investigations into allegations against Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and others, urging probes into coal contracts and urban development schemes. He questioned the lack of action by the Centre on irregularities in Gachibowli land transactions and criticized the absence of central agency investigations despite remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah about Telangana’s governance.
