I Am The Victim Of A Conspiracy: Etala Rajender

After Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao removed him from the post of Health Minister today, TRS leader Etala Rajender
stated that his innocence would be proved after the completion of the probe into the charges of land grabbing levelled against him.

"Let the probe reveal the facts about the land grab charges. Not only will I be proved innocent but the findings of the investigations will also reveal that I have fallen prey to a planned conspiracy. Though I have lost my post, I have not sought an appointment with the CM yet, and I will not do so in the future either as I believe the truth, once revealed, will speak for itself," Rajender told the media.

"The Constitution gives the CM the power to appoint or remove ministers. However, during my 20-year-old political career, I have never, so far, faced any charges of this sort. Why would I suddenly resort to misusing my power now? Like I said before, my removal is the result of a plan. I am happy that my removal is being followed by an official probe, which will unravel whether I grabbed any government-assigned lands or not. Those who have conspired against me will then be revealed as well. I am not scared for I have my self-respect and know the truth. I will not bow to any forces as I have not done anything wrong. I will, however, continue to serve the people of my state as I enjoy doing so," he asserted.

KCR's decision to remove Rajender from his post comes after some landowners claimed that the minister and his aides had usurped about 100 acres of their lands for his poultry factory in Medak. The CM has already launched an enquiry into the charges.

Rajender, however, denied the land grabbing charges vehemently, and alleged that some elements had resorted to falsely entangling him in a manufactured case to malign his clean image. He also stated that if the charges were proven to be true, he would surrender the lands.

"If I have grabbed the lands, the government can demolish any illegal structures on it. I am ready to face any action," the leader added.

Rajender has found an ally in TJS chief M Kondandaram, who said, "It is clearly vendetta politics that has prompted the CM to shunt Etala Rajender out of his post. The dismissal is simply a result of the minister's attempts to speak up against the TRS regime. The CM has used his power to cast aside a potential rival of his, that is all."

The leader then demanded that the CM order investigations into the allegations of land grabbing levelled against Labour Minister Ch Malla Reddy, Ibrahimpatnam MLA Manchireddy Kishan Reddy and Patancheru MLA Mahipal Reddy, and the Hafeezpet and Miyapur land disputes if he was truly concerned about the problem of encroachment.

Meanwhile, many people in Medak too have said that the charges being levelled against Rajender are false - Achampet Sarpanch and a local TRS leader Lakshmi have both said that the lands were sold to the minister according to due procedure.

"The minister did not grab the lands or threaten anyone unwilling to sell their plots into doing so. We sold 6.5 acres land for Rs 15 lakh, and provided all the necessary documents and photos. No injustice has been done to us. We sold the lands at a rate of Rs 2 lakh per acre. Asking for a higher rate now, after the completion of the transaction, is incorrect. The minister even gave us money to build a temple," Pochaiah, a farmer in the village, asserted.

Many followers of the leader organised protests against the CM in Karimnagar and Warangal districts as well.

Meanwhile, Medak District Collector S Harish today claimed, "A primary enquiry has revealed that Rajender had indeed encroached upon others' lands. He had built a road for his poultry farm and a shed for his hatchery on the usurped plots."

"We are currently gathering all kinds of information on the issue by talking to the victims of the land grabbing. We are also conducting a digital survey of the 170 acres of land in question. I will submit a report to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar after the completion of the field survey," he added.

Further, revenue and vigilance officials have gone to the villages of Hakimpeta and Achampet for their investigation. They are also gathering information from the farmers who had written a letter to the CM on the issue.