Hyderabad: Congress leaders on Sunday strongly defended Minister Sridhar Babu against BRS allegations, calling them part of a planned smear campaign over a fake letterhead scam.
PCC spokesperson Dr. Lingam Yadav and MLC Balmoori Venkat held separate press meets at Gandhi Bhavan. They clarified the issue and condemned what they described as politically motivated attacks by the opposition.
Dr. Lingam Yadav said BRS leader Putta Madhu was trying to damage Sridhar Babu’s image through false accusations. He demanded a formal inquiry and urged leaders not to mislead the public. “If you have proof, show it. Otherwise, stop defaming a respected leader,” he said. Yadav also emphasised that Sridhar Babu’s work for Hyderabad’s development was well known.
Congress says Sridhar Babu allegations are part of BRS political script
MLC Balmoori Venkat described the charges as baseless and politically driven. He said Putta Madhu’s comments aimed to shake investor confidence and malign the Revanth Reddy government. He asserted that the BRS had adopted a pattern of spreading lies whenever cornered by facts.
Venkat pointed out that Sridhar Babu had a long public record and consistently promoted investments and jobs in Telangana. He added that the minister acted immediately after learning about the fake letterhead misuse.
According to Congress leaders, Oduri VV Satyanarayana alias Satish and his group collected ₹1.77 crore from victims by promising IT project clearances. After learning of the fraud, Sridhar Babu alerted his staff and instructed his OSD to file a complaint. The OSD lodged the case at Saifabad police station on June 3. Police registered FIR 67/2025 and later arrested six people. Meanwhile, Hyderabad CCS police continue the investigation.
Venkat questioned why the BRS was targeting the complainant instead of the accused. He said such tactics reflected BRS’s “cheap politics” and confirmed that no staff member from Sridhar Babu’s office was linked to the scam.