Hyderabad, June 26 (RAHNUMA): CPI State Secretary and MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao on Friday accused former minister and BRS leader T. Harish Rao of misleading the public over alleged irregularities in coal stocks at Singareni Collieries Company Limited.
Addressing a press conference at Makhdoom Bhavan here, Kunamneni rejected Harish Rao’s claim that 40 lakh tonnes of coal had gone missing, asserting that theft of such a massive quantity was impossible. He alleged that discrepancies in coal stock figures could be linked to accounting, loan or rating-related practices rather than theft. Referring to a 2017 complaint made by current BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan Kumar against the then TRS government, Kunamneni said allegations of inflated coal stocks were raised even during the previous regime.
“If today’s 45 lakh-tonne discrepancy is being called a scam, then the earlier allegation involving 75 lakh tonnes should also be treated the same way”, he said, demanding that Harish Rao explain the earlier accusations.
Kunamneni maintained that Singareni’s reputation should not be damaged for political battles and suggested a CBI probe if doubts persist over coal stock assessments.
Besides, the CPI leader warned that workers could launch an indefinite strike from August 15 if pending issues at Singareni remain unresolved. He accused both the previous BRS government and the present Congress government of burdening Singareni and related public sector entities with heavy debt, while reiterating that Communists would always stand with workers rather than political interests.
The press conference was attended by AITUC-affiliated Singareni Collieries Workers Union leaders Vasireddy Sitaramaiah and K. Raj.
