BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao has put three Hyderabad-based companies in the crosshairs of national scrutiny, alleging on Friday, October 16 that the city is becoming a hub for fake aerospace and defence shell companies under the watch of the state's Congress government — and directly calling on Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to investigate.

Three companies, three accusations

Rama Rao named three firms in his post. First, he alleged that the Anumula family runs a shell aerospace company called 'Tesseract'. Second, he pointed to 'Raghava Aerospace', which he linked to the Ponguleti family. Third, he flagged a company named 'Aindri Defense'. He stopped short of detailing the specific nature of the alleged irregularities, but the thrust of the charge was unambiguous: that entities with political connections are positioning themselves as defence suppliers without genuine credentials.

'God only can save India's armed forces if these are the kinds that supply equipment,' Rama Rao wrote, underlining what he framed as a national security concern rather than merely a state-level political dispute.

Hyderabad's defence sector drawn into political battle

Hyderabad has long been one of India's most significant aerospace and defence clusters, home to establishments of DRDO, HAL and a dense ecosystem of private ancillary firms. That credibility is precisely what makes the city an attractive address for any company seeking a veneer of legitimacy in the sector — and, as Rama Rao's charge implies, a potential blind spot for regulatory oversight.

The allegation slots into a sustained pattern of opposition attacks by the BRS on Telangana's Congress government, which came to power after the 2023 state assembly elections. Since that change of guard, the two parties have traded accusations across a range of governance issues, from industrial policy to investment facilitation. By invoking defence procurement and tagging the Union Minister directly, Rama Rao has escalated the dispute well beyond the state arena.

The call for a central inquiry

Addressing Rajnath Singh by his official X handle, Rama Rao asked the Defence Minister and his team to 'look into these shell companies.' The public tag is significant: it creates a documented, timestamped demand that is difficult for the Ministry to quietly shelve. Whether the Ministry of Defence responds with a formal inquiry, refers the matter to relevant regulatory agencies, or remains silent will be the next pressure point in this story.

For now, the three company names — Tesseract, Raghava Aerospace and Aindri Defense — are in the public domain, attached to serious allegations. The armed forces, ultimately the end-users of any defence equipment procurement chain, sit at the centre of the concern Rama Rao has raised.

If New Delhi picks up the thread, this moves from state politics to national security policy in a single memo.