Two Ministers Demand Former Counterpart Substantiate Graft Claims

Hyderabad: In a sharp political exchange, Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Adluri Laxman Kumar have thrown down the gauntlet to former minister T. Harish Rao, demanding he substantiate his graft accusations. Both officials declared their willingness to resign should Harish Rao produce concrete evidence to back his claims against their respective departments.

The pair undertook a bus journey through Karimnagar district on Wednesday, travelling from the local bus terminal to the NTR statue in Ramakrishna Colony within Thimmapur mandal. Throughout the route, they engaged directly with passengers, fielding complaints and grievances. The ministers assured commuters that the administration would act on the concerns put forward during their interactions. They subsequently addressed the media near the NTR monument.

The ministers reported that they had assessed how the free bus travel initiative for women was functioning on the ground. They indicated that female passengers had expressed contentment with the scheme's implementation.

Pointing to opposition efforts to stir resentment among auto-rickshaw drivers when the free bus scheme rolled out, the ministers noted that the government had simultaneously rolled out its own support measures for auto workers. They also highlighted Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy's openness to extending free transport to NEET aspirants, who would be able to access the service by presenting their examination hall tickets on test day.

The ministers disclosed that the government had executed central procurement valued at ₹1,142 crore, which included provisions for SC, BC and minority students. They took issue with Harish Rao's characterisation of the procurement process as a ₹2,000-crore scam.

According to the ministers, Harish Rao was levelling baseless accusations at the government and specifically targeting them due to their representation of SC, BC and minority communities.

The event drew participation from SUDA Chairman Narendra Reddy, Block Congress president Sudagoni Lakshminarayana Goud, Kotha Tirupati Reddy, Davu Sampath Reddy and other political figures.