Sircilla: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday alleged that the family of BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) runs hotels in Hyderabad’s IT corridor, near HITEC City, under the name “At Home Hospitality.” Addressing a large public meeting in Sircilla as chief guest, he said he had not raised the matter in the Assembly the other day and was disclosing it now as part of “Part Two.” He launched a sharp attack on former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), former minister KTR, T. Harish Rao and Santosh Rao. He asked how KTR, who he said had washed bathrooms and plates in hotels in the United States, had come to own assets worth so many crores.
Reddy alleged that a 4-star hotel and serviced apartment complex named Deccan Serai, with 190 rooms, operates on HITEC City road. He said there is also a 100-room Deccan Serai at Mindspace and a 120-room hotel at Kondapur. He questioned how KTR, who says neither he nor his father owns a house, acquired such assets. “Dare to release a white paper on your assets,” he challenged. “Can you say that the star hotels next to HITEC City are not in your name? I will prove that they are, or else I will change my name,” he said.
The Chief Minister also demanded an explanation of how properties earlier held in the names of people from the Andhra Pradesh region were transferred to members of the KCR family within six months. He further alleged that the family has substantial investments in countries such as the United States and Singapore. He demanded that the family tell the public where the son of a “Dubai passport broker” obtained assets worth thousands of crores.
Criticising the ten years of BRS rule, Reddy said Sircilla had not developed and had instead turned into “Urisilla.” Recalling that his party had broken the “Gajwel fortress” and sent KCR to his farmhouse, he said the “Sircilla fortress” would be demolished this time. He said the Congress had done what it promised in Gajwel and would do the same in Sircilla, and he called on the people of the constituency to aim at Sircilla in the next elections.
Describing Sircilla as a sacred land where faith and courage meet, Reddy praised its handloom workers for creating a saree that fits inside a matchbox and winning worldwide recognition. He accused previous rulers of turning the town into a maze of problems for their selfish politics. He said the tears and starvation deaths of weavers had silenced the sound of the looms, and that agitations by workers’ associations had pushed Sircilla into darkness. He also alleged that KCR snubbed K.K. Mahender Reddy, who had worked actively during the Telangana movement, and fielded his own son KTR, who had come from America, in the constituency. He accused the Kalvakuntla family of using the Telangana movement to amass assets worth thousands of crores.
Responding to KTR’s remarks about him, Reddy said, “What does a young crow know about the sting of a slingshot? What does KTR know about the Congress party and about Revanth? Ask KCR, who is sleeping in his farmhouse.” He alleged that KTR converted the votes cast by the people of Sircilla into currency notes and earned crores.
Reddy also accused the KCR government of neglecting migrant Gulf workers. He alleged that it did not even take note when workers who had migrated to the Gulf died. He asked why the government could not prevent Gulf migration during its ten years in power, and alleged that the KCR family did not care about Gulf victims for a single day in office. He also said that although KCR had once been elected MP from Palamuru district, no change came to the district.
The Chief Minister asked the KCR family to tell the people what business had earned it Rs 1 lakh crore. He alleged that Santosh Rao, the son of KCR’s co-brother, indiscriminately drew sand from the Manair stream and plundered it, and that he looted thousands of crores of public money together with KTR. He asked whether it was not true that Dalits who questioned their corruption were run over and killed with lorries. He also said that when KCR was made Chief Minister, he “cheated” Lord Shiva of Vemulawada and Lord Rama of Bhadradri.
Reddy compared spending on weavers by the two governments. He said the BRS spent Rs 2,234 crore on weavers in ten years, while the Congress government had given Rs 1,731 crore in two and a half years of “people’s rule.” He added that Rs 1,700 crore in funds had been given to the district in the past two and a half years.
Alleging misuse of public money, he said farmhouses had been built with people’s funds: KCR at Erravalli, KTR at Janwada, Kavitha at Shankarpally and Harish Rao at Venkatapur. Reddy also promised that if the Congress candidate wins from Sircilla in the next elections, he will be made a minister.