Hyderabad, March 30 (NationPress) The Opposition party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), has called upon Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla to remove Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy from his position due to serious allegations regarding illegal mining and land grabbing.

A group of BRS MLAs and MLCs, headed by party working president K. T. Rama Rao, met with the Governor to lodge a formal complaint requesting an investigation into the alleged misconduct of the minister.

During the meeting, the delegation presented substantial evidence pointing to extensive irregularities, which include illegal mining activities and unauthorized land encroachments associated with the minister.

The BRS leaders demanded the immediate termination of Minister Srinivas Reddy and insisted on an independent judicial inquiry, preferably overseen by a sitting High Court judge, to guarantee transparency and justice.

They alleged that Raghava Constructions, a firm linked to the minister, is conducting illegal mining operations in breach of regulations, particularly in restricted areas like the catchment zones of two reservoirs.

Moreover, these operations are reportedly carried out without the necessary authorizations such as mineral dealer licenses, pollution control approvals, electricity permissions, and industrial clearances, leading to the loss of public resources worth hundreds of crores.

The delegation also highlighted that when these issues were raised in the Assembly, instead of addressing the allegations, the ruling Congress government opted to suspend and expel BRS MLAs and MLCs.

BRS asserted that the government had even acknowledged irregularities by admitting in the Assembly that notices were issued to Raghava Constructions.

Following the meeting with the Governor, Rama Rao informed the media that a legislative committee comprising MLAs and MLCs should be established to probe the matter, or alternatively, a completely independent judicial inquiry should be initiated.

He expressed skepticism toward state agencies like CB-CID, especially considering the Chief Minister holds the Home portfolio.

Rama Rao emphasized that due to Srinivas Reddy’s position as a serving minister, there is a significant risk of influencing any inquiry conducted by the state government, necessitating his immediate removal from office.

The BRS leaders appealed to the Governor to take action in the interest of justice and to instruct for an impartial investigation, either led by a sitting High Court judge or through central agencies.

KTR also criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its silence on the matter, arguing that it has not exerted any pressure on the state government regarding these allegations.

He accused Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of reneging on his commitment to investigate corruption allegations and questioned his inaction despite substantiated evidence against the minister.

KTR challenged the Chief Minister to uphold integrity by launching probes not only into Ponguleti’s alleged scams but also into various other issues including the Amrut scam, phone tapping incidents, irregularities at Singareni, and violations of Hyderabad's industrial land policy.