Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has taken away the portfolio of the state’s Health Minister over allegations of land grabbing against the latter. The chief minister has also asked the vigilance department to investigate the allegations against the cabinet minister for health, Etela Rajender.
KCR asked DG Purnachander Rao to submit a preliminary report soon and another report after a detailed enquiry. Eight farmers from Achampeta and Hakimpet villages in Masaipeta Mandal of Medak district lodged a complaint with the chief minister alleging that minister Etela Rajender and his followers illegally occupied the assigned lands and threatened the villagers.
A copy of the complaint was also sent to minister Harish Rao, MP Prabhakar Reddy, Narsapur MLA Madan Reddy, chief secretary Somesh Kumar and Medak collector Harish.
The complaint filed by the farmers read:
“In the year 1994, in Survey Nos. 130/5, 130/9 and 130/10, the government allotted land to Chakali Lingaiah, Bichchavva, Krishna, Nagulu and Parashuram each 1.20 acers.
In Survey No. 64/6, three acers was allotted to Erukala Durgaiah and some land to Erukala Yellaiah and Ramulu under Assaiged land
Over the past few months, Suri alias Alli Sudarshan and Anjala Sudhakar Reddy who was the followers of Minister Etela Rajender, have illegally captured their lands saying your lands is taken back by the government and about 100 acres of land belongs to the poor BC, SC, ST was grabbed. Among them, some sheds were built for the establishment of a large poultry industry without any permissions.”
The former collector of Medak district Dharmareddy and former assistant collector Nagesh told the media that minister Etela Rajender had put pressure on them to regularise the land when the issue of land grabbing came to light.
Clarifying the allegations, the minister said that he hasn’t made a mistake and that he was being misrepresented as per the plan and the allegations was a pre-planned conspiracy.
He said, “I know the history of everyone. Not only a Vigilance and the ACB, but I am also demanding for sitting judge enquiry or with any number of investigative agencies, all of them should be investigated. I am ready to quit politics if proven wrong.”
“I am a man of self-respect and would not surrender to assets, positions and the position is not more important than self-respect,” he added.
Rajender also stated that farmers voluntarily surrendered their land and they bought 40 acres at Rs 6 lakh, 7 acres again and the hatchery was developed with a loan of Rs 100 crore from Canara Bank.
The political future of Rajender became a topic of discussion in the political circles in the wake of the chief minister’s order for an inquiry. There are also talks of Rajender and KCR’s relations having gone completely sour.
Rajender has been a key leader in the Telangana Rastra Samiti (TRS) since its inception and has been a minister since the formation of the separate Telangana state. He served as a Minister for Finance in the last cabinet (2014-2018) of KCR and is the Medical and health minister in the present government.
In recent times, the views expressed by Rajender on various occasions especially in his constituency have created ripples in the party. There was a large-scale debate over his remark that “no one owns the party (TRS) and we all are owners of the party. We gave blood and sweat for it.”
Reacting to the Union government’s proposed agricultural bill, Etela Rajender had opposed the decision of the CM that they will not purchase the crop from the farmers. Rajender, recognised as a student leader with a left-wing ideology, has been a key figure in the TRS.
In 2004, he won his first MLA from the Kamalapur constituency in the Karimnagar district and served as a floor leader of the party in the legislative assembly. He has won the Huzurabad constituency since 2009. He was close to KCR from the beginning and got the key finance ministry after the formation of Telangana in 2014 and the formation of the TRS government.
It was rumoured at the time that the distance between the two leaders had increased after a while, and Rajender was not confident of TRS retaining power in the 2018 elections. And after the 2018 landslide victory, Mahmoud Ali was the only one sworn as a cabinet minister with the CM. Later, even during the cabinet expansion, there was a rumour in party circles that the berth of Rajender was swayed till the end and he was taken into the cabinet at the last minute and handed over the Ministry of Health.
However, there is an opinion that the differences gradually increased between KCR and Rajender. It is reported that over the past few months, several ministers and leaders have complained to the CM that the remarks made by Rajender on various occasions and meetings revealing his dissatisfaction are against the government.
His remarks in Huzurabad during the assembly sessions caused a stir and the party working President KT Rama Rao took him to Pragati Bhavan on the instructions of the CM and asked about the remarks. Rajender is reported to have said that he did not say anything against the government. However, the party chief said that the situation has not changed after that and the government was looking into the allegations made by him in the last few years.
In the recent MLC election, Rajender was not given any responsibility. When Rajender organised the membership drive of the party in his constituency Huzurabad, all other district ministers and leaders had instead gathered in Karimnagar for a drive.
Generally, several cabinet ministers, including KTR, Harish Rao, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, are involved in decision-making over major issues and operations in the state. However, the ministers kept away from the health department operations despite a raging pandemic. “He has been completely isolated. No one is supporting him. KCR wants to make him a scapegoat in the coronavirus crisis. He had been waiting for a chance, which he has now with the land grabbing allegations,” speaking to a News18, senior journalist Venu Gopal Reddy had observed.
Reddy also said that Rajendra had indications of KCR’s moves and was prepared for any circumstance. “Rajender used the Covid crisis for his exposure too. No one in the cabinet acts independently, except KTR. But, Rajender did it. Sometimes he tried to blame private hospitals instead of taking action even as a minister responsible for health,” Reddy said.
It is reported that during a recent visit to Huzurabad, he commented that he “may not come here as a minister again”. It clearly indicates he has an inkling of what is happening behind him.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress alleges that the chief minister want to suppress a backward class leader. Earlier, KCR removed Rajaiah, the Deputy CM, health minister and a scheduled caste leader in 2016 and now it the backward castes’ turn, they allege. “There are many land grabbing allegations against the ministers and MLAs, leaders of TRS party. They should be punished first,” AICC spokesperson Sravan Dasoju said.
He also stated that the CM’s son KT Rama Rao constructed a farmhouse at Janwada violating GO 111 and no action has been taken by the government even after the people protested against it.
There are also allegations on others like Labour Minister Malla Reddy, Excise Minister Srinivas Reddy, Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay, Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar, MLAs Gongidi Sunita, Muthireddy Yadagiri Reddy, Gudem Mahipal Reddy and many others. First, take action against them and then come to Rajender, the AICC spokesperson added.
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