S Niranjan Reddy Denies BRS Link to SBI Raidurg Land Auction Dispute

On June 21, 2026, former Minister S Niranjan Reddy dismissed allegations linking the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to the State Bank of India's (SBI) decision to approach the court over the Raidurg land auction. Speaking on the controversy, the BRS leader refuted claims of political interference and accused the ruling Congress government of attempting to deflect attention from its own administrative lapses in the Raidurg area.

The former minister stated that attempts were being made through certain sections of the media to create narratives targeting the SBI. He described these efforts as a deliberate attempt to intimidate the country’s largest public sector bank, which was simply acting to protect its interests.

Niranjan Reddy also defended his recent meeting with SBI Chairman Challa Sreenivasulu Setty, asserting that it was entirely inappropriate to attribute political motives to their interaction. He clarified that because Setty hails from the Palamuru region, he had merely met him to offer congratulations on assuming his prestigious position. He questioned whether an organisation of the scale of the State Bank of India would ever require any outside involvement to safeguard its own assets.

According to the BRS leader, the root of the entire controversy stems from the state government’s failure to ensure transparency in the Raidurg land auction. He stated that the government’s intense focus on land monetisation has repeatedly exposed its shortcomings in handling legal, technical, and environmental issues.

Niranjan Reddy pointed out that these governance failures are not isolated to the Raidurg land auction. He highlighted that similar issues have been highly evident in other state matters, including disputes relating to the Kancha Gachibowli lands, demolitions carried out under the Musi River Rejuvenation Project, and now the ongoing legal dispute surrounding the Raidurg land auction.