CBI probe ruled out, Opposition walks out

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MARCH 20. The Congress(I), CPI(M) and MIM staged a walk-out in the Assembly on Tuesday, demanding a CBI inquiry into the charge against Mr. Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, son of the CLP Leader, Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Rao, that he plotted to kill a TDP leader. The Government does not order such an enquiry because it would reveal the case to be ``fabricated'' for sheer political gain, said Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy.

The Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, said that those accused of conspiracy cannot decide the type of enquiry the police should undertake. The Home Minister, Mr. T. Devender Goud, said that special courts would be constituted to speedily try all cases of factious violence. Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy said he was willing to send his son to the gallows if found guilty by the CBI.

Rejecting the demand for a CBI probe, Mr. Goud said that the Congress(I) leaders who were now questioning the integrity and fairness of the State police would accuse the Chief Minister of manipulating the inquiry using his clout with the NDA Government at the Centre if Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy was found guilty. The demand was a ploy to delay the investigations, the Minister said.

The House debated for nearly four-and-a-half hours the issue of Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy being found by Cuddapah police to be involved in a conspiracy to eliminate a local TDP leader of Pulivendula, Mr. Parthasarathi Reddi, main accused in the murder of Y. S. Raja Reddy, father of Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy. In a related plot, the TDP MLA from Penukonda, Mr. Paritala Ravi, was sought to be eliminated using a suitcase bomb allegedly at the behest of M. Suryanarayana Reddy, alias Suri, now undergoing life imprisonment in the Jubilee Hills bomb blast case. Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy was accused by the police of meeting Suri in the jail.

During the debate, TDP members - Mr. P. Brahmaiah, Mr. S Chandramohan Reddy and Mr. G. Butchaiah Chowdary - targeted Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy by describing him as a person belonging to a family of factionists. Earlier, in an unusual move for a ruling party, the TDP and its ally, the BJP tabled an adjournment motion on the subject which was disallowed by the Speaker who, however, permitted a special discussion.

The Opposition parties lampooned the TDP for bringing an adjournment motion because it involved an element of censure against the Government. They alleged that the issue had been raked up to deflect the heavy flak the Government was facing over the IMFL scam. They said the investigation had been was in progress for two months but the Government suddenly discovered the alleged involvement of Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy on Monday, immediately held a press conference to implicate him and lost no time in raising the issue in the Assembly.

CM's intervention

Making a short intervention towards the end of the debate, the Chief Minister denied that the Government was motivated by political vendetta in naming Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy, and asserted that the law would take its own course. However, Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy could not dictate the agency which should inquire into the conspiracy because this was a prerogative of the Government.

He appealed to political parties and people to support the Government's efforts to put down factionalism, the bane of the Rayalaseema region. He said the Congress (I)'s tendency to encourage factions would have grave consequences because extremist elements were joining the fray using hi-tech gadgetry to eliminate rivals.

The Chief Minister asked Congress(I) leaders to search their souls and convincingly say that they were innocent. He did not believe that Congress(I) leaders, who were not allowing the Ministers to speak in the House, would permit officials to discharge their bona fide duties. Dr. Reddy had compared a District Collector to the `footwear' of the TDP.

The Home Minister highlighted the difficulties faced by the authorities in bringing faction leaders to book in courts, but expressed confidence that they would be punished in ``people's courts.''

Referring to Dr. Reddy's claim that he had been acquitted in most cases filed against him and had won Assembly and Parliament elections eight times, the Minister said there were other Congress(I) leaders such as Mr. M. Baga Reddy and Mr. P. Sambasiva Raju, who had won several elections but never had any cases against them.

The CLP leader said Mr. Devender Goud should step down as Home Minister for admitting his incompetence in curbing faction violence.

Making a fierce defence of his son, Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy dared the Home Minister to produce the visitor's book of the Central Jail as proof that his son met Suryanarayana Reddy. He wanted a ruling from the Chair as to how Mr. S. Chandramohan Reddy could repeatedly refer to him as accused in several cases when he had been acquitted by courts.

Mr. N. Indrasena Reddy (BJP) expressed concern over the rampant faction violence in Rayalaseema region which was driving innocent people to seek shelter in Hyderabad.

Mr. Akbaruddin Owaisi (MIM) criticised the Government for picking the son of the Leader of Opposition for settling political scores and said this was a very unhealthy trend. Mr. N. Narasimhaiah (CPI-M) said the Government had jeopardised the entire course of investigation in its unholy haste to gain political mileage.

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