"Harish Rao, KTR doing drama, spreading misinformation", says Congress' Sama Ram Mohan Reddy

Speaking to ANI, Sama Ram Mohan Reddy alleged that Harish Rao misled the public by referring to an entirely different case while addressing the media. "Harish Rao spoke about another case and claimed that it was quashed by the courts. That is completely misleading. The present case is different," he said.

Clarifying the circumstances of the investigation, the Congress leader said that Harish Rao was summoned after his name surfaced in the deposition of an accused. "Harish Rao was called for an investigation because his name was mentioned in the statement of an accused, who also happens to be a media channel owner," Reddy said.

He further alleged that after appearing for questioning, Harish Rao attempted to project himself as an authority. "After appearing for questioning, Harish Rao attempted to project himself as an authority by questioning police officials on why certain officers, including the DGP, were not summoned", he added.

Addressing allegations raised by the BRS over coal mining tenders, the TPCC spokesperson said the issue was first flagged by a media house and not by BRS leaders. "The Deputy Chief Minister had already clarified the matter and, in the interest of transparency, the government cancelled the tenders," he said.

He emphasised that the clause being cited as an irregularity has been in existence since 2018, including during the previous BRS government.

He accused BRS leaders of making baseless allegations without evidence and said the Congress government has consistently backed its statements with official documents. He added, "If BRS leaders had genuine concerns, they should have raised them in the Assembly instead of spreading misinformation through the media."

Sama Ram Mohan Reddy also referred to allegations raised by BRS leader K. Kavitha regarding phone tapping and said these questions must be answered by K. Chandrashekar Rao, KTR, and Harish Rao. He expressed confidence that the investigation could extend to KTR and KCR if necessary.

Dismissing KTR's claims on social media, he said such tweets carry no credibility among the people of Telangana and termed the recent allegations involving Congress MP Mallu Ravi as false and misleading.

Earlier on Tuesday, former BRS Minister and Siddipet MLA T. Harish Rao underwent nearly eight hours of questioning before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday in connection with the alleged phone tapping case. Heavy police deployment was made in and around the Jubilee Hills ACP office ahead of his appearance.

Before entering the office, Harish Rao told the media that the notice summoning him was politically motivated. He alleged it was issued after the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) exposed alleged irregularities involving Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and his relatives. He said the notice was served late on Monday night at his residence, while he was campaigning in Siddipet, and directed him to appear before the SIT at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

Harish Rao said he was not afraid of any inquiry and would cooperate fully. He alleged that the government was misusing police machinery to intimidate opposition leaders and divert attention from alleged corruption. (ANI)