Date:15/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/15/stories/2007101574400800.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Assets probe: TDP for PM’s intervention

‘TDP stands by the charges levelled against YSR’
‘Chief Minister afraid of a probe by a sitting judge’

HYDERABAD: The Telugu Desam has urged Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy to seek Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention for the appointment of a sitting judge to go into assets owned by him and Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu in the wake of corruption charges levelled against the two leaders by rival party men.

Addressing a press conference here, TDP Parliamentary Party Leader K. Yerran Naidu and former MPs K. Ramamohan Rao and S. Venugopalchary, denied that the party was backing out on the issue. They asserted that the party stood by the charges levelled against Dr. Reddy. They alleged that the Chief Minister was afraid to have the charges against him and Mr. Naidu probed by a sitting judge, as he would get “exposed”.

They appealed to the Prime Minister to use his good offices in getting a sitting judge appointed as “ the State being is looted”.

Referring to Dr. Reddy’s criticism of TDP as “fake”, they said the Chief Minister was suffering from ‘Telugu Desam phobia’ as Mr. Naidu’s had evoked good response from the people. The Telugu Desam had the same symbol from the beginning unlike the Congress which changed many symbols. “It is the Congress and Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy who are fake and not the TDP.”

Demands arrest

Meanwhile, at a separate press meet TDP spokesperson Nannapaneni Rajakumari demanded the arrest of APCC women’s wing president Ganga Bhavani and her removal from the post.

She wondered at the delay in taking action against the Congress leader and declared that she would launch an agitation if the arrest was not made by month-end.