State BJP demands probe into Naini ‘coalgate’ scam

Hyderabad/New Delhi: Telangana BJP State unit President N Ramachander Rao has demanded a full-scale investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into alleged corruption and irregularities in the Naini coal block tenders.

Addressing the media at Telangana Bhavan in the national capital on Tuesday, Rao said the cancellation of Singareni-Naini block tenders is proof of Congress’s exploitative governance, which he alleged is driven by commissions and contracts rather than development.

Rao accused Congress leaders of “sucking the blood and sweat of Singareni workers” by awarding coal blocks and contracts to their own people and relatives. He further stated that the BRS party has no moral right to write to Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy, as half of the irregularities in Singareni occurred during the BRS regime and the other half under the current Congress government.

Highlighting the decline in employment, Rao pointed out that Singareni once had 75,000 employees, which reduced to 42,000 under the BRS and further dropped to 38,000 after Congress came to power.

He alleged that both parties ignored the workers, who made Singareni profitable and instead indulged in corruption.

Rao questioned how Singareni, which is claimed to be in financial loss, could sponsor Rs 10 crore for international football star Lionel Messi’s visit to Telangana. He said the Congress government owes Singareni more than Rs 50,000 crore and is misleading the public by claiming losses while simultaneously spending lavishly.

He also criticised the Congress government’s new “site visit” policy, calling it a planned scam to award tenders to relatives and associates. Rao demanded that Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka clarify why the Naini block tenders were cancelled, who received bribes, and why transparency was absent in the process.

The BJP leader alleged that internal conflicts among Congress ministers over contracts have further exposed the government’s priorities. He cited incidents of ministers and their aides threatening corporate companies and quarrels between the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister over the allocation of tenders.

Rao declared that governance in Telangana has been sidelined, with Congress focusing only on commissions. He reiterated that both BRS and Congress are equally responsible for Singareni’s current state, accusing them of exploiting workers and misusing coal block contracts for personal gain.

“The people deserve answers. Be it CBI, SIT, Vigilance or ED, there must be a thorough probe into all irregularities from the time BRS treated Singareni as its property to the present Congress-led scams,” Rao said. He asserted that both parties have “sucked the blood of Singareni workers” and must be held accountable.

MLC Anji Reddy, BJP SC Morcha National Secretary S Kumar and former BJP Telangana State General Secretary Gujjula Premender Reddy also participated in the media conference.