BRS Executive President K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) has accused the central government of a deliberate conspiracy to withhold coal mines from Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). Speaking at a media conference at Telangana Bhavan on Thursday, KTR highlighted several instances of preferential treatment towards other states while Singareni is left in the lurch.
KTR emphasized the impact of political power, referencing Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s (KCR) claim that securing 16 MP seats could grant Telangana decisive influence at the Centre. He compared this to the TDP’s success in halting the privatization of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant with their 16 MP seats.
Highlighting discrepancies, KTR pointed out that BJP and Congress each hold eight seats in the state. He also reminded the media that earlier, PCC president Revanth Reddy had written to Prime Minister Modi, requesting a halt to coal mine auctions. Yet, two mines in Odisha were handed over to NLC India Limited without bidding, and four mines were directly allotted to two public sector companies in Gujarat in 2015, bypassing the auction process. Additionally, in Tamil Nadu, BJP President Annamalai successfully lobbied to exclude certain coal mines from auction.
KTR drew parallels with the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, which suffered losses due to the lack of captive mines, pointing out that their request for the Bailadilla mine in Chhattisgarh was denied while Adani received the opportunity instead. He warned that a similar strategy is being deployed against Singareni, intending to force the company into losses and eventual sale.
He questioned Revanth Reddy’s shifting stance, noting that Reddy had previously demanded coal block allocation for Singareni in December 2021 but now supports participation in auctions. “Until now, India has stood as a shield by not auctioning coal mines in Telangana,” KTR asserted, urging transparency and fairness in coal mine allocations.
