Harish Rao says SIT notice is another attempt at diversion politics

HYDERABAD

Deputy Floor of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former minister, T. Harish Rao, has alleged that he was served a notice in the phone tapping case on Monday (January 19, 2026) evening after the alleged involvement of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s brother-in-law in the Naini coal scam came to light in the morning.

Speaking to newspersons before going to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) office on Tuesday, he said no Congress minister or leader had spoken about the coal scam even after it was revealed by him (Harish Rao) since the Chief Minister had resorted to fire-fighting measures as it (the issue) would cause loss to the ruling party in the ensuing municipal elections.

Former minister and Bharat Rashtra Samiti leader T. Harish Rao at Jubilee Hills Police Station in Hyderabad on Tuesday (January 20, 2026)
| Photo Credit:
NAGARA GOPAL

He said that facing cases as part of victimisation was not new to BRS ranks since the days of separate Statehood movement in the erstwhile united State and said they were slapped with many false cases. He would not fear such cases as he was a soldier readied by BRS founder K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Mr. Harish Rao sought to know the fate of six guarantees and hundreds of other promises. Serving a SIT notice was another attempt at diversion politics by the Chief Minister. He said that Mr. Revanth Reddy tied to engage them with such false cases so that the ruling party leaders could participate in the campaign for ensuing Urban Local Bodies’ (ULB) elections .

After the Chief Minister’s calculations had gone awry in the Gram Panchayat elections, he was trying to make up in the ULB polls.

On the phone-tapping case, he said the drama was going on for the last two years. Despite the ruling party’s attempt to corner BRS, the Opposition party leaders had successfully brought to light scams such as Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation Policy (HILTP), coal and power. He had also addressed a letter to the Union Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy demanding a CBI inquiry into the coal scam.

He demanded cancellation of not just the Naini coal tender but all the coal tenders of Singareni Collieries Company Limited along with the policy decision taken from 2024.