• Shabbir Ali alleges Rs. 10,000 Cr scam by TRS Govt
• Congress slams KCR for remarks against Jana Reddy
• Jana Reddy sacrificed CM’s post for Telangana: Shabbir

Hyderabad, March 31, 2021: Alleging that TRS Government was involved in scams worth over Rs. 10,000 Crore, former Minister & ex-Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Wednesday demanded that the Central Government order a probe into the financial irregularities pointed out by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) in its latest reports.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Wednesday, Shabbir Ali said that the CAG, in its reports submitted to the Telangana Legislature on March 26, 2021, the closing day of the budget session, has exposed the open loot of KCR Govt. He said that the TRS Govt did not even respond to the Inspection Reports (IRs) of CAG to clarify the allegations of financial irregularities.

Shabbir Ali said that the CAG Reports on General, Revenue and Social Sectors, Public Sector Undertaking (PUCs) have revealed a large number of financial irregularities committed by the State Government from 2014-2019. They include tampering with the budget figures, especially on revenues; favouring contractors and other financial misappropriations. He said scams of nearly Rs. 10,000 Crore have been exposed in the latest CAG reports.

The former minister said that it was the duty of the CAG to point out irregularities and loopholes in the accounting system of the State Government’s departments. Similarly, it is the duty of departments to respond to the observations made by the CAG paragraph-by-paragraph. However, he said that the TRS Government did not respond to many observations made by the CAG in its reports since 2014. The non-responsive behaviour clearly means that the KCR Govt has indeed indulged in corruption and it was hiding the facts, he alleged.

Shabbir Ali said that the CAG has made strong remarks against the lack of response from the government. It stated that “Heads of Offices and next higher authorities are required to respond to the observations contained in Inspection Reports (IRs) and take appropriate corrective action. Audit observations communicated in IRs are also discussed at periodical intervals in meetings at District/State levels by officers of the Accountant General’s office with officers of the concerned Departments. As of 31 December 2019, 2903 IRs containing 19,280 paragraphs pertaining to previous years were pending settlement. Of these, first replies have not been received in respect of 399 IRs (4,250 paragraphs).”

Further, Shabbir Ali said that the Administrative Departments were required to submit Explanatory Notes on paragraphs and reviews included in Audit Reports, within three months of their presentation to the State Legislature duly indicating the action taken or proposed to be taken. For this purpose, the Departments are not required to wait for any notice or call from the Public Accounts Committee. He quoted the CAG as saying, “Explanatory Notes were yet to be received from 11 Departments in respect of 19 paragraphs/performance audit review that featured in the Audit Reports for the years 2014-15 to 2016-17 as of 31 December 2019. Explanatory Notes were also yet to be received from 13 Departments in respect of 29 paragraphs/performance audit review relating to the period prior to bifurcation of the erstwhile State of Andhra Pradesh, as of 31 December 2019.”

Shabbir Ali demanded that Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao clarify the observations made by the CAG on all the issues. Else, it would be deemed that his government is involved in large scale corruption. He also demanded that the Central Government order a probe through relevant agencies to trace the looted public money.

He said that the CAG has only exposed scams of hundreds of crores, but it also exposed that the present government was highly incompetent and unaccountable in running the administration. “The CAG has exposed the lies of TRS Govt with regard to false claims of Telangana being the richest State. It has exposed how KCR Govt has manipulated figures to show growth. The same inflated figures were used by the government to get huge loans at higher interest rates in the name of various projects thus turning Telangana into a debt-ridden State. This financial fraud was also exposed by the 15th Finance Commission. But KCR Govt took no action against the officials involved in this economic crime,” he said.

“Jana Reddy sacrificed CM’s post for Telangana”

Shabbir Ali strongly condemned CM KCR for his remarks on ex-CLP leader and Nagarjuna Sagar candidate K. Jana Reddy. “CM KCR had no stature to speak about Jana Reddy. It was Jana Reddy who vouched for KCR when no one was ready to trust him during Telangana agitation. He once told the Congress High Command that he could be considered as a GPA for KCR. Instead of being thankful to Jana Reddy for helping him in his political career, KCR is shamelessly saying that he would send Jana Reddy to ‘permanent retirement’, he said.

He claimed that Jana Reddy was offered the Chief Minister’s post during the peak of the Telangana statehood movement. But Jana Reddy declined the offer as he feared that him becoming CM would soften the tone of Telangana agitation and the new State might not become a reality. Therefore, Jana Reddy sacrificed the opportunity of becoming the CM for the sake of Telangana. Jana Reddy was instrumental in the formation of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) to spearhead the agitation. He said Jana Reddy always believed in ethics, morals and value-based politics and KCR commenting against Jana Reddy was like spitting on the sky, he said.

Shabbir Ali said Jana Reddy still regrets trusting a person like KCR who not only went back on his words of merging TRS with the Congress party, but brutally targeted all leaders who played a crucial role in the formation of Telangana. He said that KCR, who had promised to make a Dalit CM, assumed the top post himself and later accommodated his son, daughter, nephew, son-in-law and nearly 40 relatives in various positions. Presently, the KCR family members are involved in all illegal activities like land grabbing, mining mafia, settlements and even had alleged connections with gangster Nayeem and others.

He alleged that the TRS has already dispatched nearly Rs. 30 crore (@ of Rs. 5 Crore per mandal) as the first instalment for Nagarjuna Sagar by-elections. Two more instalments of equal or more amounts are also lined up. “Jana Reddy is destined to win the Nagarjuna Sagar polls. TRS cannot escape a defeat even if it spends Rs. 100 Crore or more,” he said.

Speaking on the issue, TPCC Chief Spokesperson and ex-MP Dr. Mallu Ravi said that CM KCR has stooped down to the lowest level by making highly objectionable remarks against Jana Reddy. He said KCR’s arrogance of power and money has reached its climax and the people of Nagarjuna Sagar would shatter it by electing Jana Reddy with a thumping majority. He alleged that all money power and cheap strategies of CM KCR would fall flat in Nagarjuna Sagar by-elections and nothing would stop Jana Reddy from a historic victory,” he said.