The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : `No move to topple Karnataka Government'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 29, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

`No move to topple Karnataka Government'

Special Correspondent

The very suggestion that AICC president Sonia Gandhi will ever contemplate such a move was "uncharitable and cheap"

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy has categorically denied reports suggesting that the Congress high command is using him to topple the Government headed by H. D. Kumaraswamy in Karnataka.

Responding to a question about reports to this effect in a section of the media, Dr. Reddy said the very suggestion that AICC president Sonia Gandhi would ever contemplate such a move was "uncharitable and cheap."Neither Ms. Sonia Gandhi was interested in doing so nor did she ever try to use him for the hatchet job, he said at a press conference here on Friday.

Further, he said, he would only welcome an inquiry into the land deals, if any, of his son Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy in Karnataka. He asserted that there was no need for his son to resort to any illegal or benami transactions as he was into a very successful and profitable business. "My son can afford to buy land legally.

He earns up to Rs. 40 crores per annum from a single company," he added. As for his links with the BJP MLC from Karnataka Janardhan Reddy who had levelled corruption charges against Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, he said: "He was introduced to me some 15 years ago. That is all. He has Rayalaseema connections and his relatives asked me to help him out if need be. Beyond that there has been no interaction with him."

Muslim quota

Asked for his views on the Centre's stand in the Supreme Court that reservations based on religion would violate the Constitution, he said the 5 per cent reservations sought in the BC `E' category to be provided by his Government were not based on religion.

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