Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao on Tuesday accused the Congress government in Telangana of indulging in diversionary politics and misleading the public on key issues through the filing of a charge sheet in the Formula E race case.
He alleged that the government is trying to divert public attention from the BRS’ demand to grant legal status to the “Six Guarantees” through a Private Member Bill in the Assembly.
The BRS leader, during an informal chat with media persons, stated that the government was cornered after BRS exposed that the first file signed by the Chief Minister was missing.
He was reacting to the filing of the charge sheet by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in a court in Hyderabad on Monday.
KTR has reportedly been named accused number one in the case relating to the alleged misappropriation of public funds for conducting the Formula E race in Hyderabad during the BRS rule.
He said the Formula-E case is “completely baseless” and lacks substance. He pointed out that even the government has admitted in its charge sheet that there was no wrongdoing.
“The Rs 45 crore transferred from a bank in Telangana remains secured in the designated account. Not a single rupee has been diverted,” he clarified.
KTR expressed confidence that the Formula-E case would not stand in court and accused the government of targeting him with a political vendetta by harassing officials.
He accused the government of exaggerating facts and misleading the public. “They are projecting Rs 45 crore as Rs 600–700 crore to create confusion. The people of Telangana will not believe such fabricated claims,” he said.
KTR also questioned why no individual has been named as a beneficiary in the charge sheet and suggested that the government could retrieve the funds if required, as they remain secure in the organisation’s account.
Defending the Formula E car race, the former minister claimed that it was brought to Hyderabad to enhance the city’s global reputation and attract large-scale investments in the electric vehicle sector.
He stated that the event generated nearly Rs 700 crore in economic benefits within a week, as confirmed by Nielsen.
KTR criticised the Congress government for wasteful expenditure and selective inaction. He alleged that Rs 100 crore was spent on a football match for the Chief Minister’s personal interest and Rs 10 crore was misused from Singareni, yet no cases were registered.
He also slammed the government over controversies surrounding beauty pageants, stating that they brought no benefit to Telangana and instead damaged the state’s reputation following allegations made by Miss UK.
Despite such serious allegations, not a single Congress leader has been booked,” he remarked.
