Hyderabad:
BRS working chairman KT Rama Rao, popularly known by his initials KTR, has appeared for questioning in the Formula E racing case, with a stern message that he has all the answers. Mr Rao, who was summoned by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) today, is the prime suspect in the case involving the alleged “unauthorized” payments to run the Formula E race.
The Telangana High Court has allowed KTR's lawyer to accompany him to the ACB office but he is not allowed to enter the interrogation room. He can watch the interrogation from a glass window in an adjacent room.
Camera recordings are not permitted during the interrogation session.
Read more: “Cacophony will not silence me”: KTR as court dismisses corruption case
Before appearing before the ACB, KTR said that whatever he did was to improve the brand image of Hyderabad.
“As the son of Telangana's former Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao, I will die for Telangana if necessary, but I will not bow down to such people. I have the answers to all questions. Whatever I did was to improve the brand image of Hyderabad to improve,” he told reporters.
Earlier in the day, he shared footage from a podcast about the race and said he was working tirelessly to bring a prestigious event to India. KTR said its agenda was to make Hyderabad a crucial hub for sustainable mobility and the Formula-E race was part of the efforts to realize this vision.
The former state minister said he planned to make the TMV (Telangana Mobility Valley) clusters the epicenter for innovation, research and production of electric vehicles, which would create employment and income. “Small minds driven by petty politics may never understand this, but I am confident that the people of Telangana who observe everything will understand the truth and the vision,” his online post said.
Read more: KTR is facing a corruption case over alleged irregularities in the 2023 Formula E race
Another accused in the case – senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar – appeared before the ACB yesterday.
Dramatic scenes played out at the ACB headquarters on Tuesday after KTR's lawyer was not allowed to accompany him inside. KTR refused to be questioned and left without appearing before the anti-corruption officials. He was then served another summons on Thursday and the court allowed his lawyer to accompany him to the office.
The Formula E racing case was registered last month against KTR, who was Minister of Municipal Administration during the BRS regime, and two others for alleged payments for conducting the race in 2023. Most of the payments were reportedly unauthorized and in foreign currency , and led to losses worth around Rs 55 crore.
The race was due to be held in February 2024 but was canceled following a change of government in December 2023.