Telangana’s political battle over alleged wealth accumulation has now entered a dangerous new phase; numbers running into tens of thousands of crores, rival families trading accusations, and competing demands for investigations.
The question is no longer merely who is making the allegation. The real question is why these allegations are not being subjected to one transparent, independent examination?
BRS spokesperson Manne Krishank has alleged that businesses and transactions connected to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s family involve nearly Rs 50,000 crore.
He has specifically raised questions around Medicover Hospitals, Maxbien Pharma, Mind Vault Constructions, Shodha Constructions, Swach Bio and Tesseract Advanced Systems.
Krishank says he is prepared to submit documentary material to the ED, the Prime Minister’s Office, the President’s Office and political leaders, and has challenged Revanth Reddy to prove his allegations wrong.
The allegations include claims concerning a purported Rs 13,000-crore Medicover transaction and alleged business links involving members of the Chief Minister’s family. These are serious claims, but they remain allegations unless an authorised investigation establishes the underlying facts.
And Congress has not stayed silent.
The counterattack has been equally explosive. Revanth Reddy has accused the KCR-KTR family and associates of controlling or benefiting from substantial land and business interests. In September, he put the political value of the alleged land holdings at around Rs 1 lakh crore, while the Telangana government ordered scrutiny of land holdings linked to KCR and BRS leaders.
Congress leaders have separately attacked KTR over hotel and property interests. Government Whip Beerla Ilaiah alleged that the Kalvakuntla family’s assets expanded substantially after 2014 and raised questions about hotels, farmhouses and other properties.
KTR, meanwhile, says his hotel business began in 2006 using money he earned in the United States and that his assets were disclosed in his election affidavits.
So, if one side alleges Rs 50,000 crore and the other side throws around figures approaching Rs 1 lakh crore, Telangana deserves something more substantial than another press conference. It deserves an independent audit trail.
KTR has himself challenged Revanth Reddy to a judicial inquiry into the assets of both families. That proposal creates an obvious route; place the documents, ownership records, company filings, land records, tax returns and financial transactions before an appropriately independent authority and let the evidence speak.
Courts and investigating agencies cannot, and should not, act merely because politicians exchange accusations. But where credible documentary material is formally presented, the appropriate authorities can examine whether there is a legally sustainable case. A court taking suo motu cognizance is also not a substitute for evidence and due process.
The people of Telangana therefore need neither Congress propaganda nor BRS counter-propaganda. They need the files opened.
If the Rs 50,000-crore allegation is false, establish that. If the allegations concerning BRS-linked assets are false, establish that too. If there is evidence of wrongdoing on either side, investigate it and prosecute according to law.
The most damaging possibility is not that one political camp is right and the other is wrong. It is that gigantic allegations become nothing more than weapons for election campaigns, and accountability disappears behind the noise.
In a democracy, Rs 50,000 crore cannot be answered with Rs 1 lakh crore. It must be answered with documents, investigation, and evidence.
Is expecting that becomes a foolish thing? Can Modi-led India conduct such investigations into a Chief Minister and opposition party leaders at the same time in Telangana? Or does the public just have to watch the circus and sleep? The answers to these questions can be obvious if silence prevails from the system!
Usha Chowdhary
