Sec. 22A Issue: BJP Demands Inquiry By A Sitting Judge
"The revenue minister himself is acknowledging the flaws. If that is the case, why was a comprehensive audit of the lands not conducted? Why was the matter not reported to the CAG? Why has action not been initiated against the erring officials?" he asked.
HYDERABAD: Amid an uproar from the treasury benches in the Assembly, the BJP on Saturday demanded an inquiry by a sitting judge into issues related to Section 22A. BJP floor leader Aleti Maheshwar Reddy questioned why the forensic report had not been made public. During a short discussion on 'issues related to Section 22A of the Registration Act', Mr Maheshwar Reddy drew parallels between Dharani and the present Bhu Bharati system. He questioned why the Congress government, instead of rectifying the mistakes of the previous BRS regime, was embroiled in the Section 22A controversy.
"The revenue minister himself is acknowledging the flaws. If that is the case, why was a comprehensive audit of the lands not conducted? Why was the matter not reported to the CAG? Why has action not been initiated against the erring officials?" he asked. Responding, revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the matter had been reported to the CAG and that an audit report would be released shortly. He said the forensic audit report was with the Special Enquiry Team (SET), and its report would be made available as soon as possible and shared with the public.
"Once the report comes, it will be discussed in the House," he said. Amid continuous interventions by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers D. Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar, Adluri Laxman, Vakiti Srihari and other MLAs, Maheshwar Reddy questioned whether the ruling Congress was afraid of a probe into an issue affecting 50 lakh vulnerable citizens.
Citing instances in which top officials were allegedly involved, Maheshwar Reddy demanded that the government initiate action against those responsible.
