Congress, BRS Competing in Corruption, Says BJP MP Raghunandan Rao

BJP MP Madhavneni Raghunandan Rao has accused the ruling Congress and opposition BRS of competing with each other in what he described as the “looting” of Telangana, alleging that the two parties have consistently placed political interests ahead of public welfare.

Addressing the political controversy surrounding the proposed PM Ekta (Unity) Mall, the Medak MP said allegations raised by BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) over the project should be investigated. At the same time, he demanded a probe into the BRS government’s 2018 decision to allot 10 acres of land near IKEA to Moonline Construction.

Raghunandan Rao said he had written to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) seeking an inquiry into both land-related matters. He argued that if KTR was repeatedly demanding a probe into the Unity Mall, the same scrutiny should also be applied to land allocations made during the previous BRS regime.

The Unity Mall project has emerged as a fresh political flashpoint in Telangana. The Centre introduced the scheme to promote One District One Product (ODOP), GI-tagged products and traditional handicrafts. Telangana’s proposed facility at Raidurg is planned on around 6.3 acres of government land, with a large commercial development envisaged as part of the project.

Raghunandan Rao questioned the terms of the project and compared them with the earlier IKEA-side land allocation. He said the government should make public the details of land utilisation, construction commitments and the benefits accruing to the state in both cases.

The BJP MP also targeted Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, alleging that the Congress government had failed to pursue several corruption allegations it had raised against the previous BRS administration after coming to power.

He questioned the status of probes linked to the Kaleshwaram project, Outer Ring Road (ORR) tenders and the Formula E-car race. On Kaleshwaram, he called for an investigation covering the entire project from the Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the final payments rather than limiting the scrutiny to individual barrages.

Raghunandan Rao further accused Congress and BRS of using mutual allegations to divert public attention from governance and accountability. He described the two parties as being “two sides of the same coin”, pointing to their political association in the past and alleging that both had prioritised sharing power and resources over people’s interests.

He urged voters to reject what he called the Congress-BRS political cycle and said Telangana would benefit from a BJP-led double-engine government. The latest allegations are likely to intensify the political debate over land allotments, major infrastructure projects and the accountability of successive governments in the state.