BRS Leader Alleges Congress Graft in School Procurement
BRS General Secretary RS Praveen Kumar accused the Telangana Congress administration of centralizing procurement for residential schools to facilitate widespread corruption. The opposition leader targeted government policies that allegedly sideline local businesses, while claiming his family faced political victimization after he exposed official irregularities.
Key Highlights
- BRS General Secretary RS Praveen Kumar alleged GO No. 17 centralizes residential school procurement to enable large-scale corruption.
- The policy shift allegedly replaces decentralized local committees with high-turnover corporate suppliers from outside Telangana.
- Kumar questioned the selection of specific firms and raised security and administrative concerns affecting his family.
- The former IPS officer characterized his wife’s sudden bureaucratic transfer as a direct political vendetta.
Hyderabad: BRS General Secretary RS Praveen Kumar accused the Congress government of centralising procurement in residential schools to facilitate large-scale corruption. He said GO No. 17 was introduced to create a single-window mechanism for corruption.
Speaking to mediapersons at Telangana Bhavan on Thursday, Praveen Kumar said that during the BRS regime, procurement of vegetables, eggs, milk, edible oils, groceries, catering and sanitation services for residential schools was handled through District Procurement Committees (DPCs), enabling participation by local entrepreneurs. However, he said the Congress government dismantled the decentralised system and invited bids only from companies with annual turnovers of Rs.300 crore to Rs.500 crore, effectively sidelining micro, small and medium enterprises.
He alleged that contracts were awarded to large firms such as Mafatlal Industries and Chintamani Parasnath instead of Telangana-based businesses, questioning why local companies were overlooked while neighbouring Andhra Pradesh was supporting its own industries.
Praveen Kumar stated that GO No. 17 was issued without consulting the Ministers concerned, including Ponnam Prabhakar, Adluri Laxman and Mohammed Azharuddin. He also questioned the selection of Chintamani Parasnath, claiming that its owner, Niranjan Kumar Jain, had earlier been named in a narcotics-related case and demanded an explanation from the government in this regard.
The former IPS officer also accused the Congress government of targeting his family as part of a political vendetta. He said his wife, Lakshmi Bai, was transferred from the post of Director of Agricultural Marketing to an insignificant position in the Cooperation Department because he had questioned alleged government corruption. He said her transfer was against established norms as she had less than 1 year of service left.
He recalled that the government had earlier reduced his security cover and that after he secured partial relief from the High Court, his wife was targeted. He described the transfer as unrelated to her expertise and intended solely to intimidate him. However, he asserted that such actions would not deter him and that he would continue to fight on behalf of the people to expose irregularities.
Historical context or future outlook
The clash highlights intensifying friction between the ruling Congress party and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) over state administrative policies in 2026. Under the previous BRS administration, localized institutional procurement was championed as a method to stimulate the rural economy and empower regional small business owners. The introduction of GO No. 17 by the current Congress government signals a shift toward corporate consolidation, a move the administration argues streamlines logistics but opposition leaders claim breeds monopolistic malpractice. This systemic overhaul is likely to trigger further legal scrutiny and sustained political debates regarding local enterprise rights in Telangana.
FAQs
What is GO No. 17 in Telangana?
GO No. 17 is a government order issued by the Congress administration that centralizes the procurement system for supply chains, catering, and sanitation services within state residential schools.
Why is the BRS opposing the new school procurement policy?
The BRS contends that the centralized system eliminates regional District Procurement Committees, establishing high financial turnover criteria that disqualify local small and medium enterprises in favor of massive conglomerates.
What are the specific corruption allegations raised by RS Praveen Kumar?
RS Praveen Kumar alleged that the centralized single-window mechanism was specifically designed to facilitate top-level graft, pointing out that multi-crore contracts were handed to non-local corporate entities.
Why did RS Praveen Kumar allege a political vendetta against his family?
He claimed that following his public criticism of government irregularities, the administration reduced his security detail and abruptly transferred his wife, Lakshmi Bai, to an insignificant post despite her having less than a year left in service.
