Former Telangana minister Etela Rajender resigns from TRS, likely to join BJP

“Based on an anonymous letter, an inquiry was started and I was removed as a minister within a few hours. Even before the inquiry was over, I was dropped from the Cabinet. There were baseless allegations. Without even informing me or giving me a chance to explain and debunk the allegations, I was removed,’’ he said.

Rajender will submit his resignation as Huzurabad MLA to the Speaker on Saturday.

The former minister returned to the state on Thursday evening after a three-day visit to New Delhi where he met BJP chief J P Nadda.

The former minister was divested of his health portfolio over allegations that a firm owned by his family, Jamuna Hatcheries, grabbed land from a few owners on the outskirts of Achampet in Medak district’s Masaipet Mandal.

An inquiry report submitted by the Medak District Collector found Jamuna Hatcheries had acquired land from “assigned owners” by entering into agreements with them. Assigned lands, given to SCs and STs, cannot be sold or transferred.

Rajender is a four-time MLA and belongs to the strong Mudiraj community.