"Misused his power": Congress MP Kiran Kumar Reddy slams KTR over Formula E case

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 17 (ANI): Congress MP Kiran Kumar Reddy on Monday launched a sharp attack on BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR), accusing him of misusing power and attempting to divert attention from a serious Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) inquiry into the controversial Formula E race fund transfer case in Telangana.
KTR is facing an Anti-Corruption Bureau inquiry over the alleged transfer of Rs 44 crore for the Formula E race without administrative approval during his tenure as Municipal Minister.
Speaking to ANI on KTR's remarks on the ongoing probe, Kiran Kumar Reddy said, "Today, KTR is facing an ACB inquiry because he misused his power. Despite the enforcement of the election code, he transferred Rs 44 crore for the Formula E race while serving as the municipal minister. The transfer was made in foreign currency without obtaining the mandatory RBI clearance."
The Congress leader dismissed KTR's defence as an attempt to play the victim, saying the former minister was not being targeted for political reasons, but for violating the law. Reddy criticized KTR for comparing himself to a freedom fighter, saying that KTR's potential jail term would be a result of his illegal actions, not his fight for the people.
"Now he's trying to portray this as political propaganda by the Congress, which it is not. He's comparing himself to a freedom fighter -- he's not going to jail for the people, he's going to jail for doing something illegal," Reddy told ANI.
The Congress MP stressed that KTR had transferred public money even after the Model Code of Conduct was in force ahead of the elections. He alleged that the fund transfer was reportedly made in foreign currency without mandatory clearance from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Reddy also criticised KTR for comparing his situation to that of a freedom fighter, calling it misleading and self-serving.
"There is no point in portraying yourself as a huge leader and trying to gain sympathy by going to jail. You are not being sent to jail for public service but for corruption. Maybe you think going to jail will make you the Chief Minister, but that could be your personal agenda," he added.
Reddy did not hold back in attacking the BRS party, accusing it of continuing to manipulate state systems even after losing power. He said the BRS had "looted the state during their rule" and were now trying to "interfere in ongoing investigations."
He also mentioned IAS officer Arvind Kumar, saying, "IAS Arvind Kumar is present now in Hyderabad, and he knows what I am saying. The BRS party is capable of plotting these things, as they did during the agitation before the formation of Telangana."
Reddy said, "This is truly saddening - that even after losing power, the BRS is using old tricks to escape accountability."
On December 19, Telangana ACB registered a case against BRS working president and MLA Rama Rao over alleged payments, some of it in foreign currency without approvals, to conduct a Formula-E race in Hyderabad during the previous regime. (ANI)