Former Telangana CM Accused of Seeking BJP Deal to Drop Daughter’s ED Case
Hyderabad, 28th May 2024: According to the confession statement of a former police official arrested in connection with a phone-tapping case, K Chandrasekhar Rao, popularly known as KCR, allegedly intended to leverage the “BRS MLAs” poaching case to pressure the BJP into a compromise aimed at resolving an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case against his daughter and MLC K Kavitha.
As per the confession of former Deputy Commissioner of Police P Radha Kishan Rao, referred to as ‘Peddayana’, an indirect allusion to KCR, expressed a desire for the arrest of BJP National General Secretary, Organisation, B L Santhosh, in connection with the alleged attempt to poach MLAs from his party.
“A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was established, and KCR sought the arrest of senior BJP leader Santhosh to bolster the case, potentially facilitating a compromise and the dismissal of the ED case against his daughter. However, due to lapses by certain police officials, a key individual managed to evade arrest. Subsequently, the case reached the High Court, where orders were issued against further arrests. Eventually, the SIT case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI),” the confession statement detailed.
Radha Kishan Rao’s confession also mentioned ‘Peddayana’s’ dissatisfaction with the handling of the matter, expressing anger over unmet expectations.
The former DCP cited his indebtedness to ‘Peddayana’ for his re-appointments and postings, including his assignment to the Hyderabad City Task Force after his retirement in 2020, as reasons for not divulging further details of the case.
The former DCP was apprehended in March as part of the ongoing investigation into the phone-tapping case and the destruction of certain computer systems and official data.
Kavitha, meanwhile, faced arrest by the ED in March in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a now-defunct Delhi excise policy.
Following a complaint lodged by then BRS MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy and three other legislators, the Telangana High Court transferred the investigation into the alleged attempt to poach BRS MLAs from the SIT to the CBI.
The case involved the arrest of three individuals — Ramachandra Bharati alias Satish Sharma, Nandu Kumar, and Simhayaji Swamy — accused of trying to entice four MLAs of the ruling BRS to join the BJP. The accused were granted bail by the High Court after their arrest.
According to the FIR, Rohith Reddy alleged that the accused offered him Rs 100 crore to defect from the TRS, now BRS, and contest as a BJP candidate in the subsequent Assembly election. They purportedly offered Rs 50 crore to each MLA to switch parties.
Senior BRS leader and former MP Vinod Kumar denied all allegations made in the confession statement when approached for comment.
