Hyderabad, Sep 26 (NationPress) K.T. Rama Rao, the working president of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), accused the Congress government in Telangana of burdening the populace with a debt of Rs 15,000 crore due to its ‘careless’ and ‘irresponsible’ choice to assume control of the Hyderabad Metro project.

He claimed that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s ‘personal vendetta, arrogance, and authoritarian tendencies’ compelled construction giant L&T to abruptly exit the Hyderabad Metro project.

The BRS leader asserted that the takeover decision is connected to L&T’s earlier agreement to manage the repairs of the Medigadda barrage at its own expense.

The Medigadda barrage is integral to the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project, which was developed during the BRS administration.

KTR stated that L&T's refusal to undertake repairs at Medigadda hindered Revanth Reddy’s attempts to label Kaleshwaram a “failure,” which fueled the Chief Minister’s animosity towards the company. Consequently, the government began targeting and harassing L&T, ultimately forcing the firm to leave the state, he claimed.

During a press conference, KTR elaborated on the conspiracies and shortcomings of the Congress government that led to L&T's exit.

He reminisced how the BRS government supported and protected the Metro project from 2014, at a time when only 20-25 percent of the work was finished. With the personal assurance of then-CM KCR, L&T expedited the work, culminating in the inauguration of the first phase by PM Modi in 2017. Even amid the COVID crisis, when L&T feared financial losses, KCR provided a soft loan of Rs 3,000 crore, with Rs 900 crore disbursed, to safeguard the project. Under the BRS, Metro ridership surged to 5 lakh daily, extended to 69 km, and became India’s second-largest network with crucial IT corridor connectivity.

KTR contrasted this with Congress governance, accusing Revanth Reddy of undermining the Airport Metro, coercing L&T regarding Medigadda repairs, and rerouting projects to favor his associates. He claimed that despite a 2070 lease, L&T was compelled to exit due to the CM’s retaliatory politics and appetite for Metro land.

He alleged that the government’s financial irresponsibility had now piled on another Rs 15,000 crore debt atop Telangana’s existing colossal Rs 2.2 lakh crore borrowing, with no tangible benefits. According to him, the entire decision was a scheme to seize the 280 acres of valuable Metro land and hand it over to the CM’s close allies.

KTR demanded clarity on the commissions and kickbacks involved, questioned why the decision was made without a Cabinet discussion, and called for an investigation by the central government. He proclaimed that the BRS would inform the public on how a Rs 20,000 crore asset developed under BRS has morphed into a Rs 15,000 crore liability under Congress.