Bandi Sanjay Slams SIT over ‘Biased’ Phone-Tapping Probe

 Hyderabad: Union minister of state for home Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Saturday mounted a sharp attack on the Telangana government, alleging collusion between the Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to shield those involved in the phone-tapping scandal and to “loot” Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).

Addressing the media at the BJP state office in Nampally, Sanjay questioned the credibility of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the phone-tapping case, claiming the investigation was being influenced by political considerations.

Sanjay expressed concern that senior BRS leaders, including K. T. Rama Rao and T. Harish Rao, were being examined as witnesses rather than accused.

“If everyone, including KTR and Harish Rao, is only a witness, then who committed the crime? How can those responsible for phone-tapping be treated as mere witnesses?” he asked.

He warned that the SIT would lose public trust if it functioned under political pressure and demanded that it be allowed to conduct an independent and impartial investigation.

Escalating his attack, Sanjay alleged that KTR’s “arrogance remains intact” and challenged former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and KTR to publicly deny involvement in illegal phone surveillance by taking a religious oath.

“If they claim they did not tap phones, let them swear before a deity in a temple, along with their family members,” he said.

He further alleged that during the previous BRS regime, phones of film personalities, businessmen, and even party leaders were tapped under the guise of Maoist surveillance. Sanjay claimed that even KCR’s daughter and son-in-law were among those allegedly surveilled.

Turning to SCCL, Sanjay accused both the Congress and BRS of acting as “partners in plunder” in Telangana’s coal sector.

“Earlier, KCR’s family looted Singareni. Now, under Congress rule, ministers and middlemen are doing the same,” he alleged, claiming that both parties refrain from acting against each other due to mutual complicity.

“When BRS points fingers at Congress corruption, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti says BRS scams can also be probed. This shows a clear understanding — you don’t expose me, and I won’t expose you,” Sanjay said.

Key Demands

The Union minister placed several demands before the state government:

• White Paper: A comprehensive White Paper on mine allocations, finances, and utilisation of funds at Singareni Collieries Company Limited from 2014 to date.

• Comprehensive Probe: A detailed inquiry into alleged corruption under both the BRS and Congress regimes.

• Financial Accountability: Sanjay alleged that ₹42,000 crore of Singareni’s funds were diverted by the state government, pushing the PSU into heavy debt.

He claimed that pre-election promises to revive Singareni had been abandoned after coming to power. “Singareni workers fought for Telangana, but today exploitation is worse than during the united Andhra Pradesh era,” he said, alleging that BRS funded its political activities using siphoned SCCL money.

Sanjay also rejected attempts to divert the debate by referencing other states. “When we are discussing corruption in Telangana, why bring Gujarat into it?” he asked.