Telangana Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy has responded sharply to allegations made by BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao (KTR), accusing Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of involvement in an ₹8,888 crore scam. During a press conference held at the Secretariat on Saturday, Ponguleti stated that legal action would be pursued against KTR for his claims.
The controversy arose after KTR alleged that the ₹8,888 crore tenders were manipulated for personal gain. Addressing these accusations, Ponguleti challenged KTR to provide proof of the tenders, stating, “If KTR can prove these tenders, I am willing to resign. If not, will KTR step down?”
He also noted that the current government only issued tenders worth ₹3,516 crore, not ₹8,888 crore as claimed by KTR. Ponguleti alleged that the previous administration had called for ₹3,616 crore in tenders just a day before the polling date, despite the Election Code being in place. Additionally, he accused the previous government of misappropriating ₹39,000 crore under Mission Bhagiratha.
Referring to the tenders, he added, “In Khammam, Srujan Reddy, son-in-law of Upender Reddy, who contested against me, won a tender. No company was pressured by the government to refrain from bidding. In fact, the re-tenders we issued came at a price ₹54 crore lower than earlier bids.” The escalating war of words between the leaders has added further intensity to the political discourse in the state.