Hyderabad

A delegation of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders met Shiv Pratap Shukla on Monday, submitting a formal complaint against Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy over alleged illegal mining and land-grabbing activities. The meeting at Raj Bhavan lasted nearly an hour, during which BRS MLAs and MLCs presented documents claiming large-scale irregularities.

The delegation demanded the Minister’s immediate dismissal and called for an independent judicial inquiry, preferably under a sitting High Court judge, to ensure fairness and transparency. According to BRS leaders, a firm linked to the Minister, Raghava Constructions, was involved in illegal mining in restricted areas, including catchment zones of key reservoirs.

They alleged that the operations were conducted without necessary permissions such as environmental clearances, pollution control approvals, and mining licenses, causing heavy losses to public resources. The leaders also pointed out that when these issues were raised in the Assembly, the ruling Congress government responded by suspending BRS members instead of addressing the concerns.

BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao criticised the government, saying it had failed to act on corruption despite earlier promises. He compared the current situation to the Emergency period under Indira Gandhi and alleged that democratic values were under threat.

KTR also expressed distrust in state investigative agencies and insisted on an independent probe, warning that a serving Minister could influence any inquiry. The Governor assured the delegation that the matter would be examined.