Bhatti Vikramarka Slams Allegations in Naini Coal Block Issue

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka once again responded on Saturday to the issue of the Naini coal block belonging to Singareni. He held a media conference at his camp office and clarified the allegations that appeared in the media. He said that his goal is to ensure that no vultures, hawks, or looters prey on Singareni mines. He alleged that the reports published in the Andhra Jyothy newspaper appeared to have been written purely for the benefit of certain interests, and questioned whose interests were hidden behind certain slogans and whose interests lay behind the opening remarks, accusing them of leveling allegations against one of the largest public sector undertakings.

Bhatti Vikramarka explained with several examples that the site visit rule was not newly introduced by Singareni and that all central government organizations follow the same rule. He said that the central government undertaking Coal India had already implemented this rule in 2018. In addition to this, he stated that this rule is in force in several public sector undertakings as well as in several states. He clarified that Singareni is an autonomous organization and that not every matter, including tender conditions, comes before the government. He said that orders were given immediately to cancel these tenders with the intention of preventing misconceptions from spreading among the public. Bhatti revealed that out of a total of 25 tenders called by Singareni, 20 tenders were allotted during the BRS regime. He said that he hopes the Andhra Jyothy newspaper will withdraw the allegations made against him.

He stated that he did not enter politics casually and said that if anyone thinks they can damage his 40-year image with a single news report, it is not a question of him remaining silent. He said that looking at the sequence of events — the news on Naini coal block tenders appearing in Andhra Jyothy, Harish Rao immediately writing a letter, and then Union Minister Kishan Reddy responding to it — it raises suspicions that all this was done according to a plan. Vikramarka said that whoever it may be, if a letter is written to him, he is ready to order an inquiry into the works allotted in Singareni since 2014.