Hyderabad’s political temperature shot up on Saturday as Bharat Rashtra Samithi working president K. T. Rama Rao tore into Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy over the Singareni coal controversy, coining a sharp new barb, “EMI CM”, and daring the Congress leader to order a probe by a sitting High Court judge.
Speaking at the Narsampet constituency meeting at Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad, KTR alleged that the Congress government was manufacturing crises in coal production, power supply and irrigation to justify expensive purchases and pocket commissions. He demanded a judicial inquiry into what he called a Rs 10,000-crore Singareni scam and an alleged solar power scam, apart from the proposed foreign coal imports.
“Revanth Reddy says he will order an inquiry if we write to him. If he has the courage, let him order a sitting judge’s inquiry into our allegations,” KTR told the gathering, escalating a war of words that has been building for days.
Why KTR said “EMI CM”
The phrase did most of the damage. KTR alleged that the government’s plan to import foreign coal was driven by political payments to the Congress high command. Imported coal, he claimed, could cost Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per tonne, nearly three times the roughly Rs 3,800 per tonne that Singareni coal costs.
“They are creating a crisis first and then claiming that coal and electricity have to be purchased at higher prices,” he said, accusing the government of deliberately cutting Singareni’s coal production while around Rs 60,000 crore in dues to the company remained unpaid.
The Bhotra Logistics charge
The allegations are not new, but they have grown sharper. On Thursday, October 15, KTR had written an open letter to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Union Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy, demanding full public disclosure of every detail linked to the proposed foreign coal imports.
In that letter, he named a firm called Bhotra Logistics, claiming it was being lined up for the import arrangement under “questionable arrangements”. He alleged commissions of about Rs 1,500 per tonne in the proposed deal, which he said could translate into a Rs 3,000-crore scam. He also stressed that the imports had not yet happened, and insisted the government make the tenders, pricing and agreements public before moving ahead.
He demanded disclosure of:
- All discussions and draft agreements on the proposed foreign coal imports
- Tender documents and the pricing structure for the shipments
- The basis on which Bhotra Logistics was reportedly chosen
- Why domestic coal, available locally at a fraction of the cost, was being bypassed
Singareni Karmika Garjana meeting
A day earlier, on Wednesday, October 14, KTR had taken the campaign to the coal belt itself. Addressing the Singareni Karmika Garjana public meeting organised by the BRS at Godavarikhani in Peddapalli district, he demanded an independent probe into the alleged Rs 10,000-crore scam in the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), citing alleged irregularities in the Naini coal block tenders, the site visit certificate system, opencast mine contracts and machinery procurement.
He claimed Rs 6,317 crore had been diverted over two financial years and that roughly 40 lakh metric tonnes of coal had gone missing, demanding a comprehensive audit of the company’s accounts. “I have repeatedly stated that Singareni is riddled with corruption and irregularities,” he said, also questioning who had sought to benefit from the Naini tenders before they were cancelled.
Power pricing becomes the new battleground
KTR also dragged the power sector into the row, asking why Telangana was facing power shortages when the previous BRS government had delivered 24-hour electricity. He reminded the crowd that the Congress had once attacked the Chhattisgarh power purchase agreement priced at Rs 3.90 per unit, and claimed the present government was now considering purchases at Rs 15 per unit.
The Congress government has not yet responded to Saturday’s specific charges at length, but the Chief Minister had earlier offered to order an inquiry if KTR wrote to him. That offer, KTR made clear, does not satisfy him. “This is not an issue to be debated merely before the media,” he said, insisting only a sitting judge’s probe would do.
FAQs
What is KTR demanding?
A probe by a sitting High Court judge into the Singareni scam and the proposed foreign coal imports, with full public disclosure of tenders and pricing.
What is the price difference KTR cites?
Singareni coal at about Rs 3,800 per tonne versus imported coal at Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per tonne, a gap he says makes the import plan unjustifiable.
Has the government responded?
Revanth Reddy had earlier said he would order an inquiry if KTR wrote to him. KTR has rejected that, demanding a sitting judge’s inquiry instead.
Why does this matter beyond Telangana?
Singareni is one of India’s oldest public sector coal companies, and coal politics cuts straight into power tariffs, industrial costs and the Centre’s energy policy, which is why the allegations are drawing national attention.
For now, the ball is in the Chief Minister’s court. The BRS says it will intensify its agitation to protect Singareni workers and block what it calls the privatisation of the public sector giant, while the Congress government weighs whether to take KTR’s dare. Telangana’s coal war is only getting louder.
