FIR against Harish Rao for conspiracy

Hyderabad:Siddipet Congress leader Gadhagoni Chakradhar Goud has accused former minister and BRS MLA T. Harish Rao of conspiring against him to tarnish his reputation ahead of the Telangana Assembly elections by getting his phone and his family members tapped by retired task force DCP P. Radhakishan Rao, an accused in unauthorised phone tapping case.

The complainant accused Harish Rao of preventing from undertaking philanthropic work to help farmers financially in Siddipet.

Based on the complaint, the Punjagutta police booked a case against Harish Rao under provisions of Sections 120B, 386, 409 and 506 read with 34 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 66 of IT Act, 2008.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Goud said Harish Rao saw him as a threat in Siddipet Assembly constituency because of his extensive philanthropic work and helping farmers financially in Siddipet.

The complainant also accused Harish Rao of using phone-tapping case accused Radha Kishan Rao to monitor the phones of him and his family members and implicating him in false cases.

"Harish Rao wanted to sabotage my political career and tried to unlawfully influence the outcome of the elections. I firmly believe that my phone numbers and my wife’s phone number were illegally tapped and I strongly suspect that Harish Rao abused his power as a minister to monitor my activities and implicate me in false cases," he said.

“Though I brought these issues to the notice of the police multiple times, no action was taken against the accused, who caused irreparable loss to me. I have approached the Telangana High Court seeking directions to the police to book a case and investigate into the matter,” he explained.

Goud said he established Farmers First Foundation to encourage organic farming by providing farmers with modern techniques and gave `1 lakh each to the families of 100 agricultural tenant farmers who had committed suicide. On March 26, 2023, he said he distributed `1 lakh each to 150 widows of farmers who had committed suicide. He said he also wanted to set up a fire sticks factory to support the poor.

Because of his charity in Siddipet, the complainant claimed “Harish Rao developed a grudge and conspired to harm him by falsely implicating him in several cases to tarnish his reputation and make him discontinue his philanthropic work.

He also accused Harish Rao of even threatening him of dire consequences, including the possibility of killing him for failing to stop his charity work in the Siddipet constituency.

“On January 23, 2023 I announced plans to start a small scale unit to make matches in Siddipet district to provide employment to the poor. Following directions from Harish Rao, a false case was booked against me after which I was arrested and later remanded to judicial custody,” Chakradhar further said.

Harish Rao, however, rejected all allegations against him and said cases filed against him based on false charges will not deter him, and the latest case is yet another example of the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government’s attempt to muzzle him as he was raising issues of public importance.

The BRS leader said several false cases were filed against him previously. The latest case was filed against him, he said, because the Chief Minister was worried that people will believe the BRS and question the Congress government.