Is Kaleshwaram political fodder for civic body elections in State?
Hyderabad: Thealleged Kaleshwaram project scam has emerged as a major political agenda in the ongoing municipal election campaign, with the ruling Congress in the State and the BJP at the Centre trading charges over a possible CBI probe.
However, political analysts wonder saying that whether the politicos use Kaleshwaram issue till the completion of elections or both Congress government in the state and BJP government at Centre will take seriously and responsibly even after municipal elections to bring out the scammed money and jail the culprits.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has repeatedly been raising the issue in his municipal election meetings, questioning why the Centre is not responding to the Kaleshwaram scam though the State sought the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe six months ago. Revanth also challenged the BJP leaders to arrest KCR in Kaleshwaram case if they have guts. However, the BJP has countered by stating that the CBI can take up the investigation only if the State government formally hands over the entire scam case.
Responding to the Chief Minister’s criticism further, BJP Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao demanded that the Congress government immediately transfer the entire case to the CBI if it truly has no understanding with the BRS. He further alleged that former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had protected Revanth Reddy in the ‘vote-for-note’ case and that Revanth Reddy was now shielding KCR in the Kaleshwaram issue.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy also rejected the Chief Minister’s allegations, stating that both Congress and BRS were “enacting dramas” in the name of the Kaleshwaram scam. “If the Chief Minister is sincere about a CBI inquiry, why would the BJP obstruct it? I have no authority to stop a CBI investigation. I am not CM too,” Kishan Reddy said, adding that Revanth Reddy was unnecessarily blaming him.
BJP leader Bandi Sanjay said the Chief Minister should admit that he lacks the courage to arrest KCR, after which, he claimed, the Centre would take appropriate action.
However, the Chief Minister criticised the union government for not ordering a CBI probe into the Kaleshwaram and Formula E race scams, questioning Union Minister G Kishan Reddy’s inaction. Alleging that Kishan Reddy is protecting KCR, KTR, and Harish Rao, the CM said, “We will call Kishan Reddy as Kishan Rao until the BRS leaders are arrested.” He also slammed the Centre for registering CBI and ED cases against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi to harass them.
It may be recalled that the Telangana government, on August 31, 2025, decided to hand over the Kaleshwaram project case to the CBI for an in-depth investigation into alleged irregularities and structural failures. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced the decision during the Assembly discussion on the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission report on August 31. Later, the State government addressed a letter to the Centre seeking CBI inquiry into the alleged Kaleshwaram scam.
The Chief Minister said that since inter-state governments and central institutions such as the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and Power Finance Corporation (PFC) were involved in funding the project, a CBI probe would be appropriate. He asserted that all those who “looted public money in the name of Kaleshwaram” must be punished.
