Hyderabad: Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Adluri Laxman Kumar challenged former minister T. Harish Rao to prove his corruption allegations. They said they were ready to resign if he substantiated the charges against their departments.
The two ministers travelled by bus in Karimnagar district on Wednesday. They travelled from the bus stand to the NTR statue in Ramakrishna Colony of Thimmapur mandal.
During the journey, they interacted with passengers and listened to their grievances. The ministers assured commuters that the government would address the issues raised by them. Later, they spoke to reporters near the NTR statue.
They said they had reviewed the implementation of the free bus travel scheme for women. According to the ministers, women passengers expressed satisfaction with the scheme.
Corruption allegations spark political confrontation
The ministers said opposition parties tried to provoke auto drivers against the government when the free bus travel scheme was launched. However, they added that the government had also introduced welfare measures for auto workers.
They said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was positive about providing free transport to NEET candidates. Students may use the facility by showing their hall tickets on the examination day.
The ministers said the government carried out central procurement worth ₹1,142 crore. The procurement covered facilities for SC, BC and minority students. They criticised Harish Rao for alleging a ₹2,000-crore scam in the process.
The ministers claimed Harish Rao was making baseless allegations against the government. They also accused him of targeting them because they represent SC, BC and minority communities.
SUDA Chairman Narendra Reddy, Block Congress president Sudagoni Lakshminarayana Goud, Kotha Tirupati Reddy, Davu Sampath Reddy and other leaders attended the programme.