BRS leader Harish to Rahul: Ensure Telangana revenue minister is sacked

HYDERABAD: BRS leader T Harish Rao on Thursday pressed AICC leader Rahul Gandhi to ask Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to immediately sack Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy as revenue minister over the Section 22-A prohibited lands problem.

Key points

• Directly addressing the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha in a post on 'X' platform, he remarked: Dear @RahulGandhi ji, a grave governance crisis in Telangana.
• BRS working president KT Rama Rao extended backing to the polytechnic students protesting against GO 97.
• Bhu Bharati was Congress's promise to bring certainty to land records.

What happened

Directly addressing the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha in a post on 'X' platform, he remarked: "Dear @RahulGandhi ji, a grave governance crisis in Telangana. Section 22-A, meant to safeguard against illegal registrations, is allegedly being applied to arbitrarily freeze private properties, with allegations of a "30% collection racket" and coercive 50: 50 development agreements involving front/benami entities. Thousands of properties, including HMDA/GHMC-approved layouts and long-standing patta lands, are reportedly affected throughout Hyderabad, Medchal, Malkajgiri, Rangareddy, Sangareddy and in all districts of Telangana."

"Bhu Bharati was Congress's promise to bring certainty to land records. It must not become a source of uncertainty for settled property titles. I demand: Immediate removal of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy. Independent judicial inquiry by a retired High Court judge. Forensic audit of all Section 22-A additions/removals since December 2023. Independent anti-corruption investigation. Protection of bona fide property owners. District-wise, survey-number-wise public disclosure. Section 22A is a statutory safeguard, not a tool for extortion, " Harish Rao remarked.

Meanwhile, BRS working president KT Rama Rao extended backing to the polytechnic students protesting against GO 97. He alleged that these students are now staring at an uncertain future since of the decision taken by the administration. Expressing shock over the "police high-handedness" against some students, he demanded that the administration immediately cancel the controversial GO.

The bottom line

In short, BRS leader Harish to Rahul: Ensure Telangana revenue minister is sacked is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.