Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao has called for the cancellation of tenders worth Rs.88.88 billion, awarded under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme in Telangana. Addressing the media in New Delhi on Tuesday, Rama Rao accused the Congress-led Telangana government of engaging in "crony capitalism and corruption," raising concerns over the integrity of the tender process.
The tenders, issued in February, include six packages, one of which is a Rs.11.37 billion contract awarded to a joint venture involving Indian Hume Pipe Company (IHP), Sodha Constructions, and AMR. According to KTR, IHP will execute only 20% of the project, leaving 80% to Sodha Constructions, a firm linked to Congress leader Revanth Reddy’s brother-in-law, Srujan Reddy.
KTR questioned Sodha Constructions' qualifications, highlighting its modest net profits of Rs.35 million in the past two years and calling into question its ability to handle such large-scale projects. He argued that the awarding of the tenders was influenced by Revanth Reddy’s political position, violating multiple legal provisions, including the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Representation of the People Act.
“The tender process has been manipulated to benefit the relatives of political leaders, which is a blatant conflict of interest,” KTR stated, further urging the central government to take action and cancel the contracts.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders dismissed KTR's allegations, calling them a political ploy. Senior Congress MP Mallu Ravi argued that the contracts were awarded to the lowest bidder and accused KTR of conspiring with the BJP to target Revanth Reddy.
The controversy surrounding these tenders continues to escalate, with the BRS pressing the Centre to intervene and investigate the alleged corruption under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme in Telangana.