Hyderabad: Alleging widespread money laundering in the paddy procurement tenders, where bidders reportedly collected an additional Rs 2,230 per tonne from millers, BRS leaders today submitted details of these financial transactions to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Addressing a press conference after lodging the complaint at the ED office, former Chairman of the Civil Supplies Corporation, Peddi Sudarshan Reddy, accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, Civil Supplies Commissioner, and other officials of involvement in the paddy procurement tender scam, which he claimed took place 18 months ago. “We have held eight press conferences on this scam, but there has been no response from the Congress or the government,” Sudarshan Reddy stated. “Our leaders KTR and Harish Rao raised this issue in the Assembly, but there has been no response. We have also approached the High Court. The bidders collected Rs 2,230 per tonne of grain from the rice millers and sent it to the Congress leaders. We have collected the details of the accounts where the money was received illegally. Money laundering took place in this. Today, we have filed a complaint with the Enforcement Directorate with the evidence we have collected.”

The BRS leader confirmed that they had prepared a booklet of more than 700 pages and were sending it to various investigating agencies. “The culprits would definitely be punished in this scam. No one can escape,” he asserted. He also noted that the BJP’s failure to respond to the matter was “raising many suspicions.” Reddy accused the Congress party of acting like a “gang of thieves,” stating, “They were looting like a gang of robbers. We have exposed this robbery. We will not rest until the investigating agencies catch the thieves, as Rs 423 crore were illegally transferred to various accounts.” He added that the government’s failure to file a counter, despite the High Court’s repeated requests, was proof that the scam had indeed occurred.

Gangula Kamalakar alleged that the tenders were issued to sell 35 lakh tonnes of paddy within 90 days, and that irregularities were present from the outset. He claimed that money that should have gone into the government treasury had instead gone into private individuals’ accounts. Despite a complaint being filed at the Panjagutta police station regarding the matter, FIR was registered, while FIRs were being registered against BRS activists for even minor complaints. “We have faith in the investigation agencies. Why doesn’t the ACB respond to this scam?” Kamalakar questioned.

“We are complaining to all the investigation agencies in the state as well as the Centre about this scam. Union Ministers Bandi Sanjay and Kishan Reddy should have opened their mouths by now.” MLC Naveen Kumar Reddy, former corporation chairmen M Srinivas Reddy, Vasudeva Reddy, Satish Reddy, and BRS leader B Ramamurthy were also present.