Hyderabad: Telangana BJP legislature party leader Aleti Maheshwar Reddy urged Rahul Gandhi to intervene in the Section 22-A land issue in Telangana.
In an open letter, Maheshwar Reddy demanded the removal of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy from the Cabinet.
He alleged that the Congress government was involved in organised land exploitation. The BJP leader also sought immediate intervention from Rahul Gandhi.
Maheshwar Reddy demanded the public release of the Dharani digitisation audit report. Additionally, he sought an official white paper covering all changes under Section 22-A since 2014.
The proposed document, he said, should list additions, deletions and modifications survey number-wise. It should also cover changes made up to the present.
He further demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting High Court judge. The inquiry, according to him, should examine alleged financial transactions and quid pro quo arrangements.
He also called for a time-bound mechanism to remove legally held private patta lands from the prohibited list.
Section 22-A land allegations target Telangana revenue administration
Maheshwar Reddy accused the Congress leadership of following a different approach to constitutional governance in Telangana.
He said Rahul Gandhi presented himself as a defender of the Constitution across the country. However, the BJP leader alleged that Congress-ruled States showed a different picture.
The Telangana Revenue Department, he alleged, had become a platform for political fundraising. Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908, was allegedly being used against genuine pattadars.
Small and marginal farmers, along with middle-class families, were among those he said had faced difficulties.
According to Maheshwar Reddy, authorities added legally owned private properties to the prohibited list. Some properties, he alleged, entered the list suddenly.
He also compared the situation with the previous BRS government. The earlier administration, he alleged, had used the Dharani portal and TLRUP to trouble people.
Instead of dismantling that system, Maheshwar Reddy claimed, the Congress government had expanded it through Bhu Bharati.
He referred to what he described as the statewide Bhu Bharati inventory audit. The exercise, according to his claims, covered agricultural, assigned and converted lands.
The BJP leader alleged that several lakh acres of private land had entered prohibited categories. He further claimed that Telangana’s total prohibited land had reached between 1 crore and 1.05 crore acres.
Maheshwar Reddy described the situation as more than an administrative mistake. He alleged that it reflected a planned commercial operation.
He also referred to Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy. According to Maheshwar Reddy, the minister had himself exposed aspects of the alleged system.
The BJP leader additionally raised allegations about financial transactions involving Raghava Constructions. He linked the company to the family of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy.
He claimed that the transactions involved thousands of crores of rupees. These allegations, he said, warranted a judicial inquiry.
Audit, white paper sought over land restrictions
Maheshwar Reddy alleged that officials deliberately placed properties under Section 22-A. Later de-notifications, he claimed, generated large sums of money.
He alleged that the system generated thousands of crores of rupees every month. He also claimed that up to ₹200 crore a month reached the Congress high command.
The statement did not provide independent evidence for these financial allegations.
He said the issue required an independent investigation. For this reason, he demanded complete disclosure of changes made to the prohibited land list.
Maheshwar Reddy also sought accountability from officials responsible for such decisions. Constitutional morality, he said, required action when allegations involved members of the government.
He said he had directly challenged Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy to a public debate at the Assembly premises on August 20, 2026.
The BJP leader claimed that the Revenue Minister failed to explain his department’s actions. He further alleged that the minister did not accept the challenge.
Maheshwar Reddy asked Rahul Gandhi to intervene and ensure that the Telangana government addressed the land issue.
He reiterated his demand for the Dharani audit report. He also sought a survey number-wise white paper and a judicial inquiry.
Finally, he called for a time-bound process to remove legally held private patta properties from the prohibited list.
The demands followed his allegations concerning Section 22-A land restrictions and Telangana’s revenue administration.