PM Modi does not belong to backward classes by birth: Revanth Reddy
Hyderabad, Feb 14 (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not belong to the backward classes by birth and that he is "anti-BC by mentality".
Reddy also said the ruling Congress would announce a "battle against Modi if necessary" as the Centre has not sanctioned permissions for projects like expansion of Hyderabad metro rail.
Referring to the comments of some that Revanth Reddy would be the last Reddy Chief Minister of Telangana, he said he would not mind being the "last".
Reddy, who spoke during a PowerPoint presentation on the caste survey conducted by the Congress government in the state and a Youth Congress meeting held at Telangana Congress headquarters here, claimed that Modi's caste was a "forward caste" before he became Gujarat chief minister.
"Modi ji says he is BC. Actually, Modi ji is not BC. (He is) legally converted BC," he said.
Modi made his community a part of the backward classes by making legislation after he became CM, Reddy alleged.
"Though his (Modi) certificates may say he is BC, but his mentality is anti-BC," he said.
If Modi belongs to backward classes, why was the general census not conducted in 2021 and why the population of BCs was not determined, he said.
Referring to allegations that the data of caste survey was faulty, he said the Centre should take up caste census as part of general census.
He alleged that the BRS and BJP are trying to find fault with the data of caste survey for selfish purposes.
The BJP is trying to find fault with the data as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has already attacked the NDA government in parliament for not conducting caste census all over the country, would mount further pressure, he said.
The BRS, on the other hand, is trying to pick holes in the caste survey as it fears that backward classes would question its president K Chandrasekhar Rao over his family members having several posts during the BRS regime, he said.
It would be backward classes who suffer if the BC associations find fault with the data of the caste survey, he claimed.
The BCs can now seek hike in reservations, even in the Supreme Court, by presenting the data of caste survey, Reddy said.
There are no errors in the caste survey as the data is submitted by the concerned citizens, he said.
The chief minister said he took up the responsibility of caste survey as a disciplined activist to uphold the promise of his leader (Rahul Gandhi).
He said, without elaborating, that he is ready for any "sacrifice" having conducted the caste survey (which shows BCs to be the largest chunk of total population). Had he wanted to present wrong data, he asked why he would show his community to be less than five per cent, while that of BCs to be more than 50 per cent.
Talking about the state government's decision to accept data from those who were left out of the caste survey conducted during November-December last year, he said a "social boycott from Telangana society" should be imposed on BRS president KCR and his family members if they don't participate in the survey.
Attacking the NDA government at the Centre for not sanctioning funds and approvals to development projects, he said the Centre has sanctioned funds to states like Bihar and Gujarat.
"If we pay a tax of one rupee to the Centre, we get 42 paisa. If one rupee is paid, Bihar takes seven rupees, Uttar Pradesh gets three rupees. What sin has Telangana made? We are getting 42 paisa if one rupee is paid. Modi ji, you are taking 58 paisa of our fund," he said.
Stating that his government is observing restraint, he said an action plan would be taken up soon to fight against the Centre to secure its rights.
In an apparent reference to the BJP finding fault with the inclusion of Muslims in the BCs, he said Muslims are being given four per cent reservation in the state under BC category which was also endorsed by the Supreme Court.
Reddy's attack on the BRS and BJP came as the regional party had alleged that the Congress government is backstabbing the BCs with the caste survey showing a decline in the population of backward classes.
While the population of BCs was 51 per cent as per an Intensive Household Survey conducted during the BRS regime, the caste survey shows it to be 46 per cent excluding backward Muslims, BRS leader K T Rama Rao had said.
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ED raids against Anil Ambani Group companies continue on day 3
Mumbai, Jul 26 (PTI): Enforcement Directorate searches against the companies of Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani in Mumbai continued for the third day on Saturday with the agency recovering a number of documents and computer peripherals from multiple locations, official sources said.
The raids were launched on July 24 by the federal probe agency as part of an alleged Rs 3,000 crore worth bank loan fraud-linked money laundering case apart from multiple other allegations of financial irregularities with crores of rupees by certain companies.
The searches, being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), are continuing at some locations out of the more than 35 premises that were covered in Mumbai since Thursday, the sources said.
These premises belong to 50 companies and 25 people including a number of executives of the Anil Ambani Group companies.
ED sources had said the investigation primarily pertains to allegations of illegal loan diversion of around Rs 3,000 crore, given by the Yes Bank to the group companies of Ambani between 2017-2019.
Reliance Power and Reliance Infrastructure, two companies of the group, had on Thursday informed the stock exchanges saying while they acknowledge the action, the raids had "absolutely no impact" on their business operations, financial performance, shareholders, employees, or any other stakeholders.
"The media reports appear to pertain to allegations concerning transactions of Reliance Communications Limited (RCOM) or Reliance Home Finance Limited (RHFL) which are over 10 years old," the companies had said.
The ED, the sources had said, has found that just before the loan was granted, Yes Bank promoters "received" money in their concerns.
The agency is investigating this nexus of "bribe" and the loan.
The sources said the ED is also probing allegations of "gross violations" in Yes Bank loan approvals to these companies including charges like back-dated credit approval memorandums, investments proposed without any due diligence/credit analysis in violation of banks credit policy.
The loans are alleged to have been "diverted" to many group companies and "shell" (bogus) companies by the entities involved.
The agency is also looking at some instances of loans given to entities with weak financials, lack of proper documentation of loans and due diligence, borrowers having common addresses and common directors in their companies etc., the sources said.
The money laundering case stems from at least two CBI FIRs and reports shared by the National Housing Bank, SEBI, National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) and Bank of Baroda with the ED, they said.
These reports indicate, the sources said, that there was a "well-planned and thought after scheme" to divert or siphon off public money by cheating banks, shareholders, investors and other public institutions.
The Union government had informed the Parliament recently that the State Bank of India has classified RCOM along with Ambani as 'fraud' and was also in the process of lodging a complaint with the CBI.
A bank loan "fraud" of more than Rs 1,050 crore between RCOM and Canara Bank is also under the scanner of the ED apart from some "undisclosed" foreign bank accounts and assets, the sources said.
Reliance Mutual fund is also stated to have invested Rs 2,850 crore in AT-1 bonds and a "quid pro quo" is suspected here by the agency.
Additional Tier 1 (AT-1) are perpetual bonds issued by banks to increase their capital base and they are riskier than traditional bonds having higher interest rates. An alleged loan fund diversion of about Rs 10,000 crore involving Reliance Infrastructure too is under the scanner of the agency.
A Sebi report on RHFL is also part of the ED probe.
The companies also said in their filings before the stock exchanges that Anil Ambani was not on the Board of either Reliance Power or Reliance Infrastructure and that they had no "business or financial linkage" to RCOM or RHFL.
Any action taken against RCOM or RHFL, the companies said, has no bearing or impact on the governance, management, or operations of either Reliance Power or Reliance Infrastructure.
