HYDERABAD: The Congress stepped up its criticism of the opposition BRS over the ongoing auction of coal mines by the Centre. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy targeted BRS leaders, particularly BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, on social media after Rama Rao tried to blame the Congress government for the coal mine auctions in Telangana. Revanth Reddy’s posts on X have garnered significant attention over the past two days, countering Rama Rao's allegations.
Revanth Reddy has accused the BRS of double standards, pointing out that the Centre initiated the auction of coal mines in Telangana in August 2023 while the BRS was still in power. He pointed out that the BRS remained silent at that time but is now protesting as if the auction began only recently.
The controversy has created discomfort among BRS leaders. For the past two days, tweets by Rama Rao have exposed longstanding issues and revealed the previous BRS government's mismanagement of coal mines. According to Congress sources, Rama Rao's comments have highlighted the BRS's inconsistent stance on coal mine auctions.
The roots of this controversy can be traced back to the mines and minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act of 2015. Congress sources claim that BRS MPs supported this bill in Parliament, while Congress MPs from Telangana opposed it. They argue that the BRS' support for the bill neglected the protection of Telangana's coal mines.
Despite BRS leaders' claims that the Central government's recent actions were sudden, the auction process had been in motion for years. By 2023, the Central government had put 101 coal mines up for auction, including Telangana's Kalyanikhani, Koyagudem, and Sathupally coal mines. Questions are now being raised about why these mines were not protected from privatisation by the BRS government at the time.
Labour unions across Singareni have started protests, demanding that these mines be allocated to the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) rather than private entities. Previous chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting these mines be allocated to SCCL. However, the Centre's decision to proceed with the auction has led to questions about the BRS government's subsequent inaction.
Allegations have surfaced that the BRS government prevented Singareni from participating in the auction, allowing private companies with alleged ties to the BRS to acquire the mines. Rama Rao's tweets have hinted that these companies have not only acquired mines in Telangana but also in Maharashtra, suggesting a broader pattern of exploitation, according to Congress sources.
Since 2023, the Central government has conducted 10 rounds of coal mine auctions. The latest auction, held in Hyderabad on June 21, marked the tenth round. This means that nine rounds of auctions were conducted while the BRS was in power in Telangana.
Adding to the complexity is the BRS's history of privatising mines while publicly opposing privatisation. After the formation of Telangana, the BRS government engaged in privatization practices. A notable instance was the allocation of a coal mine in the Singareni area to a private company. The Tadicherla coal block in Bhupalpally was leased to a private company called AMR for 30 years, despite being allocated to TS Genco, which could have benefited SCCL and provided employment opportunities for local workers.
