KT Rama Rao, the working president of the BRS party, has accused the current government of sabotaging the Airport Metro project and blackmailing Larsen & Toubro (L&T), the company responsible for the project. He claimed that despite having a lease until 2070, L&T was forced to exit the project due to the Chief Minister’s “revenge politics” and desire to acquire the Metro lands. Rama Rao alleged that this decision has added a significant burden of Rs 15,000 crore to the state’s existing debt of Rs 2.2 lakh crore.
He questioned the motivations behind the decision, wondering why it was made without the approval of the Cabinet and speculating about potential commissions and kickbacks involved. Rama Rao stated that his party would take the issue to the people, highlighting how the Rs 20,000 crore assets created during the BRS rule have been turned into a liability under the Congress government.
Rama Rao also responded to allegations made by MoS for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who claimed that he travels in luxury cars imported by Basharath Khan, who was arrested for alleged customs duty evasion. Rama Rao denied any wrongdoing, saying that if anything had gone wrong, the Congress and BJP, being the ruling parties, could have registered a case. He dismissed the allegations, stating that he was focused on discussing public issues like the shortage of urea, while the Congress and BJP were fixated on his personal travel arrangements.
The BRS leader praised the progress made during his party’s rule, citing the expansion of the Metro network to 69 km, making it India’s second-largest network, and the growth of Metro ridership to five lakh per day. He attributed this success to the personal assurance of then Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who accelerated the project’s completion. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the BRS government provided a soft loan of Rs 3,000 crore to protect the project, with Rs 900 crore released. Rama Rao’s comments reflect the ongoing political tensions and accusations between the BRS and Congress parties in the state.