KTR summoned again in Formula E race case, says not afraid to go to jail
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K Taraka Rama Rao (KTR) appeared before the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday for questioning in connection with alleged financial irregularities linked to the Hyderabad Formula E race.Ahead of his appearance, KTR addressed the media from Telangana Bhavan, launching a sharp attack on the Congress government and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.'I know they will arrest me and send me to jail. Jail is nothing new to me. I am someone who has gone to jail many times for Telangana,' KTR said, asserting he would not be deterred by what he described as politically motivated inquiries.advertisement
The ACB is probing alleged misuse of Rs 44–55 crore during the BRS regime in organising the Formula E race in Hyderabad in 2023, including accusations that funds were improperly transferred by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to London-based Formula E Operations (FEO) without following due process — even after the Model Code of Conduct was in place.KTR, who was then the Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, is accused of instructing officials to ensure HMDA bore the costs of a second edition of the event that never took place.KTR has denied any wrongdoing, claiming the funds are 'very much in the account of FE' and describing the probe as 'a circus' meant to distract the public. 'As a law-abiding citizen, I will attend and fully cooperate with the ACB officials,' he said.advertisement'We respect the law. I will attend the inquiry even if they call me 30 times,' the BRS leader asserted.Accusing the Congress government of vendetta politics, KTR on Friday said: 'When you cannot run a government, keep people busy with a circus and distractions! Congress and its clown CM's antics won't deter us.'He challenged Reddy to take a televised lie detector test alongside him, stating, 'Let the whole of Telangana decide who's the culprit. Do you have the courage to take the test along with me?'He reiterated his demand for an open debate in the Assembly over the Formula E race spending. 'The Formula E-Race issue should not be confined to a closed-door inquiry. I had openly demanded a debate in the Assembly before four crore people. Revanth Reddy ran away because he lacked the courage and guts to face that debate,' he claimed.He also accused the chief minister of shaming the state. 'This is the same Revanth Reddy who brought disgrace to the state by organising a beauty pageant. These cases against me are only meant to derive sadistic pleasure,' he said.KTR also took aim at the Congress government's broader performance, saying it had 'nothing to boast about' since coming to power. 'It's like saying 'the bull gave birth' and BJP demanding to tie the calf,' he said mockingly.advertisementHe alleged that the local body elections were being rushed without granting 42 per cent reservation to Backward Classes (BCs), warning, 'BCs are watching everything.''We will keep questioning the government until all six guarantees and #420 promises are fulfilled,' he declared, adding that the repeated cases against him were designed for 'sadistic pleasure.'This is the second time KTR has been questioned in the case this year, the first being in January. Other officials, including former principal secretary Arvind Kumar and representatives from FEO and sponsoring firm Ace Nxt Gen, have also been questioned. A parallel investigation by the Enforcement Directorate is reportedly underway.Must Watch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
12 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Honeymoon murder: Victim's kin demand narco test on Sonam's parents, brother
Indore, The elder brother of Raja Raghuvanshi, an Indore-based transport businessman murdered while honeymooning in Meghalaya, on Monday demanded a narco-analysis test on prime accused Sonam's parents and said the family suspects the involvement of more people in the killing. Police have arrested five people, including Raja Raghuvanshi's wife Sonam and her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha , for their alleged involvement in the 29-year-old businessman's murder last month. They are in the Meghalaya police's custody, and an SIT is probing the case. Talking to reporters during Raghuvanshi's 13th-day death ritual here, his elder brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, said, "We want a narco-analysis test on Sonam, her parents, brother Govind and sister-in-law." Sonam is accused of getting her husband killed during their honeymoon with the help of Kushwaha and three others, in a case which has sent shockwaves across the country. The other three accused, Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi, were initially suspected to be hired killers, but the police later found they were friends of Kushwaha. Vipin Raghuvanshi said, "New videos related to the murder are surfacing one after the other. We believe more people might be involved in my younger brother's killing." He also demanded that people who posted these videos on social media also be questioned and asked why they had not released the footage earlier. He, however, expressed satisfaction with the Meghalaya police's probe. "Our family is happy with the investigation," he added. Meanwhile, Sonam's brother Govind attended the ritual feast, although the Raghuvanshi's family said he had not been invited. "I am here to seek forgiveness. If anyone suspects us, we are asking to be investigated. We stand with Raja Raghuvanshi's family," he told reporters. Govind had also taken part in Raja Raghuvanshi's post-death ritual in Ujjain on June 13. However, tensions between Govind and the Raghuvanshi family appear to be growing. The victim's other brother, Sachin Raghuvanshi, said, "I didn't speak to Govind during the ceremony. He may have come to show sympathy. We did not invite him." As per the case details, a few days after their wedding, Raja and Sonam left for Sohra in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district and went missing on May 23. His body was found in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls on June 2 while a search continued for Sonam. She emerged in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, around 1,200 km away from the crime spot, in the early hours of June 9 and surrendered before police.
India.com
14 minutes ago
- India.com
Wait for census over as Modi government issues 2027 Census notification, J&K and Ladakh will be...,caste data will be...
Census In India- File image New Delhi: In a significant development for the country, the Union Home Ministry led by Amit Shah issued the official notification for conducting the population census in the country. Most importantly, the 2027 Census will include humongous data collection, including the caste details, will be conducted in two phases, where the first phase will cover the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, and two hilly states — Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand — beginning on October 1, 2026 and the second phase will start on March 1, 2027. Home Ministry notification As per a report carried by IANS news agency, the Home Ministry notification issued under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948 (37 of 1948), said, 'A census of the population shall be undertaken during the year 2027. Reference date for 2027 India Census The report also talks about the reference date of the census will shall be 00.00 hours of March 1, 2027, except for the Union territory of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. 'In respect of the Union territory of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date shall be 00:00 hours of October 1, 2026,' it added. 2027 Census and Caste Data Notably, this is the first time that caste enumeration will be made part of the mammoth Census exercise. The Centre, in a recent cabinet meeting, had given clearance for caste enumeration in the Census, reasoning that it would enable the Central government to frame policies with better precision and also make it target-oriented. Congress vs BJP on Caste Census The green light for caste-based Census also stirred political fight as the Congress claimed that the Modi government was forced to include its idea of social justice and social empowerment. (With inputs from agencies)
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
14 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Making cuts in implementation of MGNREGA crime against Constitution: Kharge
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday alleged that the Modi government is trying to destroy MGNREGA and said making cuts in the implementation of this scheme is a "crime against the Constitution". The Congress president shared on X a media report which claimed that for the first time, the government has capped spending under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) at 60 per cent of its annual allocation for the first half of the financial year 2025-26. In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "The Modi government is trying to destroy MGNREGA, the lifeline of the poor. The Modi government has now fixed the limit of MGNREGA expenditure at 60% for the first 6 months of the year". Making cuts in the implementation of MGNREGA, which ensures the Right to Work under the Constitution, is a "crime against the Constitution", he said. Posing questions from the Congress' side, Kharge asked whether the Modi government is doing this only because it wants to snatch about Rs 25,000 crore from the pockets of the poor, which it has to spend separately in the next financial year when the demand is high at the end of the year. "Since MGNREGA is a demand-driven scheme, what happens if there is a surge in demand during the first half in case of disasters or adverse weather conditions? Will not imposing such a cap hurt the poor who depend on MGNREGA for their livelihood?" Kharge said. What happens if the limit is crossed and will states be forced to deny employment despite demand, or will workers have to work without payment, he asked. Is it not true that according to a recent report, only 7 per cent of families have received the promised 100 days of work, Kharge further asked. "Why were nearly 7 crore registered workers excluded from MGNREGA on the condition of AADHAAR based payment? Why was the MGNREGA budget allocated the least in the total budget in 10 years? Why is the anti-poor Modi government hell-bent on oppressing MGNREGA workers?" he said. The axing of expenditure on MGNREGA is a severe blow inflicted by the Modi government on the lives of every poor, Kharge said, adding the Congress will vehemently oppose this. "We are firm on our two demands -- First, a minimum wage of Rs 400 per day should be fixed for MGNREGA workers. Second, there should be employment for at least 150 days in a year," he said.
