KCR to challenge ‘victimisation’ by Ghose Commission in SC

Hyderabad: Taking a serious note of Justice P C Ghose Commission’s findings against him, former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) has reportedly decided to challenge the findings in the Supreme Court. The probe panel has alleged irregularities in the construction of Kaleshwaram project and the damage caused to three barrages – Medigadda, Sundilla and Annaram.

The BRS chief held an emergency meeting with senior party leaders, including T Harish Rao and B Vinod Kumar, in his farmhouse. The Ghose commission report, the pending court judgment on the disqualification of 10 BRS legislators, who defected to the ruling Congress party, and a proposed public meeting in Karimnagar on the BC quota issue were discussed in the meeting. Party leaders pointed out that KCR was taking exception to the Ghose Commission targeting him.

The BRS party will file a petition in the Supreme Court and challenge the panel for giving its findings without cross examining the statements of Irrigation officials that were recorded during the open hearing, when it was binding on the Commission to bring out all facts pertaining to every recorded statement. Instead, the panel held KCR responsible without any evidence, whatsoever. The BRS leaders said that the apex court’s intervention would help to counter the commission’s ‘unsubstantiated’ findings.

Rao has reportedly instructed the party’s legal team to fight for the disqualification of all their defected MLAs by filing additional petitions in the apex court. It may be recalled that the Supreme Court has already directed the Assembly Speaker to act against the BRS MLAs for switching over to the Congress within three months. As KCR is apprehensive about the Speaker’s actions, he has decided to challenge the issue in the court seeking disqualification of the 10 legislators.

Rao has also given specific instructions to the party leaders to make the ensuing public meeting on BC quota a big success by mobilizing many people from the BC community. He intends to send across a strong message to the ruling Congress besides sounding a warning about an impending political unrest if the state government fails to fulfil the promise of providing 42 per cent quota to BCs in the local body elections.