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Harish Rao Seeks Governor’s Probe Into ‘Secret’ GOs on Movie Ticket Hikes
BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao has launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Telangana, accusing it of running a “shadow administration” following controversy over government orders (GOs) that allowed movie ticket price hikes. His remarks came after Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy publicly stated that he was unaware of the GOs issued by his own department.
In a strongly worded statement, Harish Rao demanded that the Governor order an investigation into the alleged commission racket behind ticket price hike approvals. He described the situation as administrative chaos, remarking that a bigger suspense thriller was unfolding inside the Secretariat than in cinema halls.
“When a Cabinet Minister admits he has no knowledge of decisions in his own department, who is actually running the government?” Harish Rao asked, likening the Revanth Reddy administration to a circus rather than a functioning system. He recalled that the Chief Minister had earlier assured the Assembly that there would be no ticket price hikes, benefit shows, or preferential treatment.
Despite these assurances and even after the High Court reprimanded the government, Harish Rao alleged that GOs were being issued overnight to allow price hikes for multiple films, with more approvals expected. This, he said, amounted to misleading both the legislature and the public.
Raising concerns about “extra-constitutional forces” operating within the Secretariat, Harish Rao claimed that crores in commissions were being collected behind the scenes. He also accused the government of weaponising cinema-related permissions to settle political scores, warning that such arbitrary decisions were destabilising an industry that had gained national and international recognition under the previous BRS regime.
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