The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Naidu no to YSR’s probe offer

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007
ePaper

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Naidu no to YSR’s probe offer

Special Correspondent

The Chief Minister has developed cold feet: TDP chief
‘YSR Government has ordered 18 inquiries so far and found nothing’

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam party president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday rejected Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s proposal to get their respective wealth inquired by a retired judge.

At a press conference, Mr. Naidu made it clear that he was not prepared to accept an inquiry by a person handpicked by the Chief Minister as the outcome would be on predictable lines. “Only a sitting judge can render justice as he is nominated by the Chief Justice”.

By arguing that the Supreme Court or the High Court may not spare a sitting judge even before making a formal request, the Chief Minister showed that he had developed cold feet and wanted to escape. “But we will not allow that to happen. Let him make a sincere attempt and join me in writing to the Supreme Court to spare a judge, citing it as rarest of the rare and extraordinary situation.”

The Supreme Court should be convinced as there could be no other important situation than a Chief Minister facing charges of corruption and offering to face an inquiry. Reiterating that the TDP was prepared to prove its charges, he released documents as evidence to show that one of Dr. Reddy’s family members had resorted to several irregularities through his firm, Sandur Power Company. For instance, two foreign venture capital companies based in Mauritius, a tax haven, were shown as having acquired 33 per cent of the shares of Sandur, an unlisted Indian company at a high premium of Rs. 61 a share totalling Rs. 125 crore. He went on to allege that Dr. Reddy’s son’s income had shot up from Rs. nine lakh as mentioned in I-T returns of 2003-04 to Rs. 40 crore now as the Chief Minister himself had been saying.

A fair inquiry

He said he was not dodging the inquiry but only demanding a fair one. “Dr. Reddy’s Government has ordered 18 inquiries so far and found nothing.” He wondered what prevented the Government from proceeding against him during the last three-and-a-half years.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail