Harish Rao accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of filing cases against him for exposing his true nature. He criticised Congress for failing to honour election promises, vowing to continue fighting until the people hold them accountable
Published Dec 03, 2024 | 7:10 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 03, 2024 | 7:10 PM
Harish Rao quashes speculation on BRS-BJP alliance in future
In a development presaging far-reaching consequences, the Telangana Police have registered a case against BRS leader and former minister T Harish Rao on charges of tapping the phone of one Gadhagoni Chakradhar Goud and harassing him.
The police registered a case against the BRS leader crime no: 1205/2024, under section 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy), 386 (extortion), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 506 (criminal intimidation) r/w 34 IPC and section 66 of IT Act, on Sunday, 1 December.
The police also registered a case against former task force deputy commissioner of police Task Force P Radha Kishan Rao.
In his complaint, Goud, who is a real estate businessman since 2008, alleged that when the BRS was in power in the state, the police not only tapped his phone but also harassed him by registering false cases against him.
Goud, in his complaint, addressed to the Hyderabad police commissioner, said that Harish Rao used to obtain intelligence about his movement when he contested in the Assembly elections from Siddipet on the BSP ticket.
He said the police had tapped his wife’s phone also. Though he lodged a complaint that his phones were tapped, no action was taken. Harish Rao, leveraging his position as minister in the BRS government, had created a number of problems for him.
Goud, who is from Siddipet, moved to Nizampet in Hyderabad in 2019. In March 2021, he had set up Farmers’ First Foundation at GS chambers, Nagarjuna Circle Panjagutta in Hyderabad, to encourage farmers to go in for organic farming by providing them with modern techniques and creating business opportunities through stalls.
On 25 September, 2022, he organised a programme called Konda Bhudevi Garden near new bus station at Siddipet where he financially supported the families of 100 agriculture tenant farmers who had died by suicide with Rs 1 lakh to each family, totaling Rs. 1 crore. He invited the then governor, but local authorities denied permission for the event.
On 26 March, 2023, he distributed Rs. 1 lakh each to 150 widows of farmers who had committed suicide. He did not invite any politician for the event, including Harish Rao which angered him. His service activities began gaining significant public attention and support, and was becoming increasingly popular. He then announced a plan to establish small scale industries to empower the families.
By then, Goud said, Harish Rao began thinking that he was becoming a competitor to him politically. Harish Rao then “criminally conspired” with others to harm him. The then minister implicated him in fabricated cases, tarnished his reputation and attempted to discourage him from continuing any service activities. Harish Rao even threatened him with consequences including the possibility of killing him if he did not stop his charity work, Goud alleged.
On 23 January, 2023, he announced plans to start a small scale “Aggipetta Macha” a Match box company in Siddipet district intending to help the poor families. Shortly afterwards, on 4 February, 2023, a false Case (Cr.No. 49/2023, U/s 376 r/w 511 IPC) was filed against him allegedly at the behest of Harish Rao.
He did not know the complainants personally nor had he ever met them. He was arrested, brought to the ACP office in Shamirpet and later remanded to judicial Custody.
He was granted bail after 10 days. Subsequently, he said he began receiving threatening messages on his mobile phone from unknown numbers, asking- “Where is the money coming from and how are you getting it? Come and meet us.”
He said he received messages threatening with dire consequences. But he continued his service activities. On 15 March, 2023, he joined the BJP in Delhi in the presence of prominent BJP leader Eetala Rajender and Tarun Chugh.
In April 2023, he provided financial assistance to farmers in Siddipet affected by heavy rains, further increasing his visibility and popularity among the poor farmer families.
On 28 April, 2023, while he was in his Panjagutta office, plain clothes police officers raided the office, took him into custody and produced him before DCP Task Force Radha Kishan Rao. He threatened him that Harish Rao was angry with him for organising programmes in his constituency without his consent.
He offered him a “chance to live peacefully if he agreed to switch his party affiliation to BRS or he would finish his chapter.” When he refused, he took him to the CCS where two more cases Cr No; 908/2023 and 909/2023 were registered against him. After several hours he was handed back his phone and was sent to judicial remand.
He said he was later granted bail in both cases. He was again implicated in a false case Cr.No. 522/20223 at Ghatkesar Police station filed by a person named Avinash. On 29 August, 2023 he received an email from Apple (threat notification@apple.Com) warning him that his iPhone might have been targeted by state-sponsored attackers. The email stated that such attackers could remotely access his sensitive data, communication, and even the device’s microphone or camera.
Although he updated his phone following Apple’s instructions, he suspected his phone being tapped but did not take immediate action as he was already dealing with multiple false cases. Meanwhile he aspired to contest from Siddipet Assembly ticket on BJP ticket but when he was not nominated, he joined the BSP and secured the ticket.
During the election campaign he had contacted a number of his supporters and followers for meetings and rallies. Many of them later received threatening calls warning them not to attend his events.
These individuals also reported that the caller knew about their conversations and contact details which led him to suspect that his phone was being tapped. He said he suspected Harish Rao, using state intelligence resources, was monitoring his movements and activities and those of his associates and his family members to sabotage his political career and unlawfully influence the outcome of the elections.
After the 2023 general assembly elections, he learned through the media that phone tapping cases were under investigation. “I gave information about all these incidents. I now firmly believe that my phone number (9014062471) and also (9593766666) as well as my wife’s phone number (9100245853) were illegally tapped. I suspect that Harish Rao, abusing his power as a minister, had influenced the police officials to monitor my activities,” Goud said.
Reacting sharply to the case being registered against him, Harish Rao said that he would continue to confront the government on behalf of people even if it registered one lakh cases against him.
In a statement on Tuesday, 3 December, he said that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was registering cases against him as he was unable to digest the fact that he had been exposing Revanth Reddy’s true self to the people. “You know only one thing. You always take anti-people decisions and try to convince everyone that they are right. Then you also know how to register cases against those who are raising their voice against you,” he said.
Reeling off instances of cases booked against him, the BRS leader sought to nail the Congress on how it chose not to honour the guarantees it had given to the people at the time of elections. He said cases were booked against him in several police stations on several issues concerning people.”I will, however, continue to fight until the people punish you in the people’s court.”
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
