Is Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy adopting an approach that suggests, “If you question our irregularities, we will dig into your corruption; otherwise, we will ignore everything”? Anyone who observed his response in the Telangana Assembly on Saturday regarding illegal mining issues is likely to have this doubt. There is a growing opinion—even among many Congress leaders—that the Congress government, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, has not acted with sincerity in addressing the corruption and irregularities that allegedly took place during the ten-year rule of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). While in opposition, Revanth Reddy had made numerous allegations against the BRS government over corruption and illegal activities. Notably, his handling of the widely debated Kaleshwaram Project corruption issue has raised several suspicions.
This is because, despite the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report mentioning large-scale irregularities involving motors and pumps in the project, the Congress government allegedly excluded these aspects from the scope of investigation. There is widespread discussion in political and official circles that this itself amounts to a major scam. It is also well known that the same company which Revanth Reddy had strongly criticized earlier is now being protected and is reportedly working with the current government. Coming to the latest mining issue, the BRS, on Saturday in the Assembly, accused Raghava Constructions—linked to Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy—of illegal mining. The party demanded the minister’s removal and called for the formation of a House committee to investigate the matter. BRS members staged a prolonged protest in the Assembly over this issue.
Responding to these allegations, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced that a CB-CID investigation would be conducted into mining leases issued since June 2014, as well as illegal sand mining activities, and that a report would be presented in the next Assembly session. However, despite the Congress being in power for nearly two and a half years, the Chief Minister had not taken any significant action on these issues until now. Only after BRS MLAs raised allegations against Minister Ponguleti’s company in the Assembly did Revanth Reddy read out a list of alleged irregularities during the BRS regime. This raises the question: if he had such detailed information, why did he remain silent for so long?
The illegal sand mining incidents in Nereella village of Sircilla, along with attacks on those who tried to resist them, had created a major uproar at the time. Critics argue that if the Chief Minister had genuine intent, he would have focused on these issues immediately after coming to power—but that did not happen. Following the allegations against the minister’s company, Revanth Reddy announced CB-CID investigations into several others, including former ministers K. T. Rama Rao and T. Harish Rao, former MP J. Santosh Kumar’s family, MP Vaddiraju Ravichandra, former minister Gangula Kamalakar’s company, and Midwest Granite company. He also stated that Minister Ponguleti’s Raghava Constructions would be investigated.
From the Assembly floor, Revanth Reddy alleged that KTR and Harish Rao looted thousands of crores through illegal mining and the sand mafia. However, this again raises a key question: if the Chief Minister had such concrete information, why has no action been taken against them so far?. There is a growing perception—even within Congress circles—that Revanth Reddy appears to have largely ignored the corruption and irregularities during the BRS regime. Discussions suggest that significant behind-the-scenes dealings may be at play. Critics argue that while these issues were heavily publicized when in opposition to gain power, the Chief Minister has now chosen silence on many of them after assuming office.