Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 16 : Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) has launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Telangana, challenging Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to submit to an independent judicial investigation regarding alleged corruption in the Singareni Collieries Company Scandal, Proposed Foreign Coal Imports and Power Procurement
Dismissing the Chief Minister's casual offer for an inquiry via written correspondence, the BRS leader demanded absolute transparency through a high-level judicial probe.
He said, I have repeatedly stated that Singareni is riddled with corruption and irregularities. When I exposed the scams under the Congress government, Revanth Reddy responded with reckless remarks. He said he would order an inquiry if I wrote to him. This is not an issue to be debated merely before the media. I challenge Revanth Reddy to order an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into the Singareni scam and the proposed foreign coal imports.
KTR further alleged that domestic coal readily available locally at a fraction of the cost is being bypassed for expensive foreign shipments.
He said, If he has the courage, let him also order a sitting judge-led inquiry into the irregularities committed under his own government. Let there be an investigation into the ₹10,000 crore scam involving his brother-in-law in Singareni. I will also expose the solar power scam in Singareni. Singareni once produced around 70 million metric tonnes of coal and played a crucial role in ensuring uninterrupted 24-hour electricity in Telangana. Today, the same institution is being undermined and discredited. Instead of relying on Singareni and Indian coal, the Chief Minister is allegedly conspiring to import coal from abroad. Coal available from Singareni at approximately ₹3,800 per tonne could cost ₹10,000–₹12,000 per tonne when imported, particularly from Australia.
The proposed imports raise serious questions about commissions and the motives behind these decisions, he added.
KTR alleged that Revanth Reddy has pushed Singareni into a crisis and is now claiming that coal must be imported and electricity purchased from outside. The government is making these claims only after allowing the situation to deteriorate.
KTR pointed to mounting state liabilities that have crippled day-to-day operations and fuel supply chains.
He said, around ₹60,000 crore in dues to Singareni remain pending, yet the company is being blamed for not supplying coal. Coal production has declined, and power plants are now facing shortages. Telangana once enjoyed uninterrupted 24-hour power supply. Why is the state now facing power shortages under Congress rule?
The BRS leader contrasted the state's current energy vulnerability with the stable 24-hour power paradigm established under previous governance, questioning the economic logic behind the current administration's power procurement strategies.
Telangana has around 30 lakh agricultural pump sets. Electricity is essential for farmers, irrigation projects, cottage industries and other industries. Our government made every effort to ensure 24-hour power supply. When the previous BRS government procured electricity under an agreement with Chhattisgarh at ₹3.90 per unit, Congress called it a scam. Today, the same Congress government is considering purchasing power at ₹15 per unit. What should the people call this? He added.
KTR alleged motives behind the push for expensive overseas fuel contracts and said, the Congress government constituted a commission over earlier power purchases to malign the previous government. Now, it claims that electricity is unavailable when it wants to purchase it. Revanth Reddy has become an “EMI Chief Minister.” He is under pressure to meet political financial commitments, and I suspect that the proposed coal procurement deals are being used to generate commissions.
KTR asserted that the looming threat of drought is an administrative failure rather than a natural calamity, pointing to unutilized water reservoirs and neglected lift-irrigation mechanisms.
He said Revanth Reddy has allegedly allowed nearly 1,000 TMC of water to flow into the sea. The government failed to act in time on irrigation and drought conditions and is now resorting to political theatrics. Six months ago, we urged the government to lift water from the Kaleshwaram project. Our party leaders visited the project sites and showed the government and the public how precious water was flowing downstream without being utilised.
Revanth Reddy refused to lift water from Kaleshwaram because doing so would have exposed the false claims he had made about the project over the years, KTR said.
The opposition leader stressed that specific interventions at key pumping stations could have averted the current moisture stress plaguing standing crops across rural districts.
He said, We specifically urged the government to lift water from the Kannepalli Pump House, but it failed to act. Valuable water was allowed to flow away, crops are drying up, and shortages of both drinking water and irrigation water are emerging.
Dismissing climatic justifications provided by the administration, KTR drew direct comparisons with regional neighbours who successfully mitigated weather anomalies through proactive water resource management.
He said, now, the Chief Minister is citing El Niño and washing his hands of the crisis. El Niño is affecting other states, including Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. But their governments are still making efforts to utilise available water resources.  Andhra Pradesh is celebrating its irrigation achievements, while Telangana is moving towards drought.  Andhra Pradesh has taken water to Kuppam, nearly 700 kilometres away, and is using the Pattiseema project to transfer water. It has also filled reservoirs through projects including Pothireddypadu.
KTR added, if Andhra Pradesh can transport water over such long distances, why is the Telangana government unable to provide water to Mahabubnagar, which is only around 70 kilometres away from key water sources?
KTR also warned that systematic neglect of state-of-the-art irrigation frameworks threatens Telangana's status as a leading food-grain contributor.
He said, had Kaleshwaram and the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme been effectively utilised, Telangana could have continued to stand as the Annapurna of India, supplying food grains to the nation. Instead, the state is moving towards an agricultural crisis under Congress rule.
KTR called for an immediate suspension of political vendettas to channel urgent relief to farming communities facing potential crop holidays.
He said this is not a drought brought by fate or nature. This is a drought brought upon Telangana by the Congress government. Water flowing from Telangana is helping fill irrigation projects in Andhra Pradesh, while farmers in Telangana are being told to consider a crop holiday. Farmers are suffering, and the state is facing a serious crisis. I appeal to Revanth Reddy and the Congress government to set politics aside, respond immediately and extend support to distressed farmers.