State BJP president N. Ramchander Rao on Thursday alleged large-scale irregularities in paddy procurement and demanded an immediate probe into the alleged diversion of government-procured paddy worth ₹500 crore and nearly 90,000 metric tonnes of stocks.In a letter to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, a copy of which was released to the media, Mr. Rao urged the government to accord the issue the highest priority and take steps to ensure transparency, fix accountability and protect the interests of farmers.Describing the paddy procurement system as a crucial safeguard for farmers’ livelihoods and an integral part of the public distribution framework, he said any diversion or misuse of government stocks causes significant losses to the public exchequer and erodes farmers’ confidence.Mr. Rao alleged that thousands of tonnes of paddy entrusted to rice mills for custom milling were neither available in stock nor returned to the government in the form of rice, resulting in substantial losses to the State. He demanded strict action against all those found responsible, irrespective of their position or influence.‘Corrupt nexus’At a separate press conference, party Legislature Party leader Aleti Maheshwar Reddy alleged the existence of a “corrupt nexus” between the Congress and BRS, claiming that officials, contractors and middlemen who held influential positions during the previous BRS regime continue to play key roles under the present government.He alleged that ₹21,000 crore of public money was being earmarked solely for the removal of waste from Musi river. Questioning the government’s financial priorities, he asked how it was mobilising thousands of crores for the Musi project while citing a lack of funds for welfare schemes, employees, farmers and students.Mr. Maheshwar Reddy further claimed that since the Congress government assumed office, projects worth about ₹92,000 crore had been initiated, with contracts worth between ₹82,000 crore and ₹82,500 crore awarded to contractors from Andhra Pradesh. These contractors retained 30% to 32% of the contract value and subcontracted the remaining work to smaller contractors in Telangana, he alleged. He also claimed that contracts worth ₹5,000 crore covering around 200 schools were being proposed for award to a single contractor of the neighbouring State.‘GPs, municipalitices neglected’Separately, BJP MLC Anji Reddy accused the government of neglecting the development of the State’s 4,383 newly formed gram panchayats (GPs) and municipalities. In a letter to the Chief Minister, he sought the release of a special development grant of ₹10 lakh for each gram panchayat and ₹50 lakh for each municipality. He said many local bodies were unable to pay salaries to essential staff and urged the government to release ₹1,600 crore for gram panchayats and ₹300 crore for municipalities lacking revenue sources. Published - August 06, 2026 07:06 pm IST