BRS leader and former Telangana minister T Harish Rao has been booked over phone tapping charges at Panjagutta police station after a businessman involved in real estate submitted a complaint of threats and phone surveillance against him.

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) claimed the case was registered due to political vindictiveness since he was quite vocal against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.

According to the complaint raised by G Chakradhar Goud, a real estate businessman who also runs an organisation called “Farmers First Foundation”. His activities of supporting families of farmer’s who committed suicide in Siddipet had brought him to the notice of Harish Rao who was a powerful minister. He complained that he was threatened by Harish Rao and embroiled in false cases.

When he joined BJP in April 2023 he was taken into custody by plainclothes policemen and brought before Radha Kishan Rao, a police officer who is an accused in the phone tapping case. He was told to change his party affiliation.

He also was sent a warning by Apple that his phone was being targeted by “state sponsored attackers.” Goud had secured a ticket from the BSP to contest from Siddipet in Assembly elections.

He complained, “I suspect that T Harish Rao, abusing his power as a minister, influenced the police officials to monitor my activities and orchestrate false cases against me.” Goud also complained that he had approached the police several times in the past but his complaints against Harish Rao had fallen on deaf ears.

Citing several cases registered against him ever since the Congress party came to power in the state Harish Rao said another false case was filed against him because he had exposed chief minister Revanth Reddy. “Even if you file lakhs of cases I will not stop questioning till you are punished in the people’s court,” he said.

BRS leader Prof. Dasoju Sravan said “To mask his inefficiency Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy is resorting to illegal cases to intimidate leaders of the BRS including Harish Rao. These are blatant attempts to silence his voice and suppress the truth.”