KTR demands probe into Valmiki scam funds in Telangana polls

Hyderabad: With the Enforcement Directorate filing its chargesheet in the infamous Valmiki scam in neighbouring Karnataka, BRS working president KT Rama Rao reiterated that the Congress misused the funds from Karnataka to finance its Lok Sabha election campaign in Telangana. He demanded for an indepth probe into the multi crore scam and stringent punishment for those involved.

Pointing to the recent chargesheet filed by the ED which indicated diversion of the Valmiki scam funds to Telangana, Rama Rao said the Congress indulged in brazen misuse of public funds. The ED had confirmed the involvement of Congress leader and former Karnataka minister B Nagendra as the mastermind behind the Valmiki scam.

The Telangana Congress stooped to a new low by using funds meant for the welfare of tribals in their election campaign. This is not just unethical, but also a criminal act,” he said. The scam allegedly involved the diversion of Rs 187 crore from the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited. These funds were allegedly funneled through Nagendra and used by the Telangana Congress to bolster their election efforts.

“The ED has laid bare the truth we have been saying all along – Congress leaders have shamelessly siphoned off funds meant for tribal welfare and used them for their political gains,” Rama Rao said, adding that Satyanarayana Verma, the prime accused in the scam and a Hyderabad-based builder, had close ties to two prominent Congress leaders in Telangana, raising suspicions about their involvement in the illicit activities.

The BRS working president appealed to the investigating agencies to thoroughly probe the matter and ensure that all those involved were brought to justice. “It’s beyond dispute that several Congress leaders are implicated in this scam. The investigating agencies must reveal the full extent of this conspiracy and punish the culprits severely,” he urged.

Rama Rao aso hinted at another Congress scam in the making in Telangana amid reports that the Congress government in Telangana was joining hands with Dubai-based Emaar builders to develop 2,000 acres in Mucherla village of Rangareddy district, which is being promoted as the Fourth City by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The company reportedly agreed to come on board for the proposed project with a condition that the government would help it get rid of the decade-long ‘Boulder Hills Project’ case.He hinted at a possible connection between the deal and the decade-long controversy surrounding the Boulder Hills Project, a collaboration between the then Congress government and Emaar MGF. “Telangana is watching you, Scamgress. This seems like another scam in the making from another Congress administration