Prime Minister Narendra Modi was urged by BRS Working President KT Rama Rao on Friday to show his dedication to the environment by directing a prompt inquiry into the alleged destruction of Kancha Gachibowli forest and a Rs 10,000 crore financial scandal in Telangana.

In a public plea posted on X, KTR urged Modi to deny allegations of BJP-Congress cooperation in the state and said that the Congress-led state administration, headed by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, had committed a vast fraud.

The destruction of more than 400 acres of ecologically significant forest land in Kancha Gachibowli, which is close to the University of Hyderabad, is the subject of debate. KTR called the destruction a “grave financial fraud” and an “environmental catastrophe”. Despite objections from students, environmentalists, and a Supreme Court order stopping auction proceedings, the forest—which is home to peacocks, deer, and endangered species—was purportedly cleared for an IT park and infrastructure projects, despite the fact that it is essential for Hyderabad’s groundwater levels.

KTR said that in order to get a loan of Rs 10,000 crore via middlemen without obtaining permission from the forest department or environmental authorities, the Telangana government mortgaged 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli property that lacked legal title. “This is a Rs 10,000 crore scam by the Congress government; it’s not just about biodiversity loss,” he remarked. BRS provided testimony to the Supreme Court’s government Empowered Committee (CEC), which verified financial irregularities and suggested investigations by government agencies such as the CBI, RBI, SEBI, SFIO, and CVC.

KTR questioned if PM Modi’s April 14 statements in Haryana denouncing Telangana’s deforestation were “mere lip service”. In order to refute claims of BJP-Congress cooperation and demonstrate his environmental seriousness, he encouraged Modi to move quickly to accelerate probes. “It’s time to demonstrate to Telangana that you genuinely care about environmental protection and that the BJP and Congress are not conspiring,” KTR said.