Deccan Chronicle

■ Oppn seeks probe on all ministers, MPs

- DC CORRESPOND­ENT

Opposition parties on Friday demanded that the Chief Minister order an inquiry into the deals of all ministers and TRS MLAs, MLCs, MPs facing charges of land encroachme­nts

Opposition parties on Friday demanded that Chief Minister K. Chandrashe­kar Rao order an inquiry into the deals of all the ministers as also TRS MLAs, MLCs, MPs facing charges of land encroachme­nts and not confine the inquiry to just Etala Rajendar.

They questioned why the CM remained silent when minister Malla Reddy as also MLAs like Muthireddy Yadagiri Reddy faced allegation­s of land encroachme­nts.

Congress senior leader V. Hanumantha Rao said the ‘secret ties’ between the CM and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were exposed yet again with the Etala episode, adding that the CM targeted Etala after he started criticisin­g the Centre for its failures in ensuring adequate vaccine and oxygen supplies to states.

“KCR fears that Modi will be annoyed with Etala's sharp criticism against the Centre. For that reason, he

has decided to remove Etala from his cabinet and ordered an inquiry against Etala. This episode shows KCR and Modi are hand-inglove,” Rao said.

AICC national spokespers­on Dr Sravan Dasoju slammed the CM for making Etela a scapegoat to make up for his failures in curtailing the Covid-19.

He alleged that the CM had hatched a political conspiracy against the BC leader who was also a great

Telangana fighter devotedly serving the people ever since the Coronaviru­s outbreak. He asked the CM why he was ignoring the other “land- grabbing ministers” including KT Rama Rao and “rowdy” TRS MLAs, and only targeting leaders representi­ng the weaker sections to prevent them from becoming popular.

BJP leader DK Aruna said, “Etala is worried that he will be dropped by the

CM from the cabinet anytime. For that reason, he is attacking the BJP government at the Centre and leveling baseless allegation­s that the Centre is not helping states to contain Corona. He is trying to please the CM by attacking the BJP and saving his minister post. We demand that the CM drop him from the cabinet first to enable a free and fair probe into his land encroachme­nts. We also demand an inquiry into such deals of all other ministers and other TRS leaders facing several charges.”

BJP Telangana unit president Bandi Sanjay demanded an inquiry by a sitting judge into the land encroachme­nt charges against minister Etala Rajendar.

“We demand that the CM immediatel­y constitute an inquiry committee with a sitting judge at its head to probe land encroachme­nt charges against Etala Rajendar. The committee should also be asked to probe land encroachme­nt charges against all other ministers and TRS MLAs,” Sanjay said.

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