The question of ordering an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme is becoming a bone of contention between the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Congress leadership, right from the Chief Minister and Cabinet colleagues to party leaders, have asserted that the ‘guilty will not be spared’ . They even announced that a judicial inquiry would be conducted into the execution of KLIS to dig up facts. The BJP, while demanding a CBI probe into the issue, is accusing the Congress govt of ‘shielding the BRS’ by not ordering a CBI probe. Turning the table on the BJP, the Congress leadership says that, since the CBI is under the Central govt, the saffron party, by demanding an inquiry by CBI, was delaying the probe and trying to protect the guilty. As the Lok Sabha elections are nearing, the issue has become a political weapon for the parties to take on each other to gain an upper hand.
Countering the BJP’s charge that the BRS and the Congress is one, the Congress lashed out at the BJP and the BRS saying that they are enacting dramas regarding the Kaleshwaram project without ordering a CBI inquiry and are trying to protect BRS government heads. BC Welfare and Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar made it clear that the Congress government is ready to order a CBI inquiry as demanded by Kishan Reddy.
He said that the Congress government would withdraw all restrictions in allowing the CBI into the state if Kishan wrote a letter to the Centre as Union Tourism Minister.
Describing Telangana BJP President Kishan Reddy as a KCR proposed BJP president, Ponnam said that Kishan is reading KCR’s script. He made it clear that Kishan is trying to bag votes in the coming Lok Sabha elections but that is not going to happen. Ponnam said that Kishan is demanding a CBI inquiry only to save KCR. “Everybody knows what will happen if a CBI inquiry is ordered. One can see the CBI’s inquiries into the Delhi liquor scam, the Sahara scam and many other scams. How many were punished after the CBI inquiry in these scams?” he said.
Ponnam said that the Congress government is ready for a judicial inquiry and if Kishan is sincere then he must ask the Centre to allot a sitting judge of the Supreme Court or High Court to probe the Kaleshwaram project scam.
He said that Kishan is a proxy of KCR and so KCR got him appointed as the Telangana BJP president after removing Bandi Sanjay Kumar.
He said that Kishan is behaving like KCR’s shadow and asked him to end his unnecessary politicking and to cooperate with the TS government to get funds from the Centre.
