Hyd: BJP steps up attack on Revanth govt, demands Minister Ponguleti’s resignation over land allegations
Hyderabad, Aug 20 (TNT): The BJP on Thursday stepped up its political attack on the Congress government in Telangana, with BJP Legislature Party floor leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy challenging Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy to an open debate on alleged irregularities in land transactions and demanding his resignation if he failed to answer the allegations.
Speaking at the Assembly Media Point, Maheshwar Reddy said BJP MLAs and MLCs had come prepared with documents and waited for the Revenue Minister from noon to 2 p.m. for a public debate, but Ponguleti did not turn up.
The BJP leader alleged that the minister had avoided the debate fearing that the allegations against him would be exposed.
The issue has now emerged as a fresh political flashpoint between the BJP and the ruling Congress over land administration in the state, with the BJP seeking to put the Revenue Ministry and the Revanth Reddy government on the defensive.
Maheshwar Reddy alleged large-scale irregularities in the handling of private patta lands under Section 22A, including the alleged inclusion of private lands in the prohibited list, dispossession of lands belonging to poor and Dalit families, illegal transfers of land worth thousands of crores and alleged quid pro quo and commission transactions.
He demanded that Ponguleti publicly clarify who transferred the lands in question, who benefited from the transactions and how much commission was allegedly collected for removing lands from the 22A prohibited list.
He also questioned the alleged increase in Ponguleti’s assets after becoming a minister.
The BJP leader also sought an explanation from Ponguleti over remarks made by fellow minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy regarding an alleged conspiracy behind the land-related affairs.
Targeting the Congress government’s land policy, Maheshwar Reddy alleged that the government was undermining the property rights of citizens guaranteed under Article 300A of the Constitution.
He accused the Congress government of continuing what he described as alleged land-related exploitation under Bhu Bharati, drawing a political comparison with the previous government’s Dharani system.
Maheshwar Reddy further alleged that assets valued at around Rs 15,000 crore belonging to Phoenix had been transferred to entities linked to Ponguleti and questioned the circumstances surrounding the alleged transfers, asking whether they involved quid pro quo or blackmail.
The BJP leader sought to turn the allegations into a wider political issue by directly targeting Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, asking whether the alleged irregularities involving his minister would be handed over to the CBI and Enforcement Directorate for investigation or whether the government would protect him.
He said the BJP was ready to approach the ED, CBI and Lokayukta with evidence and would also write an open letter to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Maheshwar Reddy said the BJP was prepared to face any punishment if its allegations were proved false, but insisted that Ponguleti should resign if he failed to disprove them.
The BJP would take the issue to the people and continue its political fight until a comprehensive investigation was conducted, he added.
TNT TS
