Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) has said that he will take legal action against conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar for making “ludicrous allegations” against him. According to various Telugu media reports, Sukesh, the main accused in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case, has made a sensational claim that KTR has been coercing him to withdraw the statements made against his sister and former minister Kalvakuntla Kavitha in the Delhi liquor scam. Sukesh, who is presently lodged in Tihar jail, had previously alleged that he had links with Satyendar Jain, a former minister in Arvind Kejriwal's cabinet, and Kavitha in the liquor policy scam. He claimed to have provided WhatsApp chats and other evidence related to the scam to the Enforcement Directorate.
Reacting to this, KTR said, “Just learnt from media that a delusional fraudster and a noted criminal called Sukesh has made some ludicrous allegations about me. I have never heard of this rogue and intend to pursue strong legal action against him for his nonsensical utterances. Requesting media to be circumspect when publishing such wild comments/claims from fibsters.”
Sukesh, a conman facing trial, according to reports, wrote a letter to Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, alleging that KTR, Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, and his associates were putting pressure on him to withdraw his previous statements against Kavitha in exchange for Rs 100 crore cash, land in Shamshabad, and a ticket to contest the Assembly elections. He claimed that he had WhatsApp chats as evidence showing that Kavitha had sent him Rs 15 crore to hand it over to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Kavitha who is being investigated by the ED and CBI, had also rubbished the allegations levelled against her by Sukesh. Kavitha said that she does not know who he was, and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had spread the disinformation campaign against her.
In the alleged liquor scam, according to the ED, the South Group – allegedly controlled by Kavitha, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, and Aurobindo Pharma's P Sarat Chandra Reddy, among others – gave kickbacks of nearly Rs 100 crore to AAP leaders to gain control over the liquor business in Delhi. This huge sum was allegedly used by the AAP in the Goa Assembly elections. The ED has alleged that the South Group was represented by Hyderabad-based businessmen Arun Pillai and Abhishek Boinpalli, and Kavitha’s former Chartered Accountant Butchibabu Gorantla. Kavitha has however not been arraigned as an accused in the case. The BRS has maintained that the investigation was mounted by the BJP only to exert pressure on them, but despite probing for months, the investigating agencies had no proof to book Kavitha.