Hyderabad: Welfare Minister Dr. G. Adluri Laxman Kumar challenged BRS MLA Harish Rao to prove the Gurukul procurement allegations and said he would resign if the claims were established.
Addressing reporters at the CLP media hall in the Assembly, the Minister rejected allegations of a ₹2,000 crore scam in the centralised procurement process for Gurukul schools.
Laxman Kumar said he was prepared to appear at any location chosen by Harish Rao. He asserted that he would step down immediately if the former minister proved the allegations.
The Minister also denied claims that tenders were issued without the knowledge of ministers concerned. He said the Congress government followed a transparent decision-making process and ensured that ministers remained involved in major decisions.
According to him, the present administration did not function like the previous BRS government. Instead, ministers had complete freedom and participated in policy decisions.
Gurukul procurement allegations trigger political war
Laxman Kumar said the government issued online tenders for items such as uniforms and bedsheets required for students. Furthermore, he stated that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy reviewed the procurement process along with three ministers before approving the tenders.
He said the review process disproved claims that he and Minister Ponnam Prabhakar were unaware of the tender procedures.
The Minister also said the government was clearing pending bills left behind by the previous KCR administration. At the same time, it was implementing welfare programmes through transparent systems.
Laxman Kumar maintained that the tender process remained free from corruption. Moreover, he said the government followed established procedures at every stage of procurement.
The Minister reiterated that the Congress government remained committed to transparency and accountability. He also accused the opposition of making baseless allegations for political reasons.
