Andhra Pradesh CM using Titli for political gain: BJP

Vijayawada: AP BJP president and former minister Kanna Lakshminarayana alleged that AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was using a natural calamity to carry out his “heinous” politics.

He was speaking to mediapersons after releasing a fresh set of five questions to Mr Naidu. He has so far released 15 sets of five questions. The questions pertained to illegal sanctioning of projects to TD MP C.M. Ramesh, settling illegal issues of minister C. Adinarayana Reddy, corruption in skill development training programmes and provoking the public against I-T raids.

Mr Lakshminarayana said that Mr Naidu as Chief Minister should take measures to help the cyclone victims. Ignoring this, he was playing politics at difficult time which was objectionable. He said the BJP-led Centre had expressed its readiness to help the victims.

On other issues, he alleged that TD leaders were involved in stealing slippers and coconut shells from the Kanakadurga temple at Vijayawada, and they were also involved in sex and call money rackets. He alleged that Mr Naidu had hiked the estimation rates of contract works carried by TD MP C.M. Ramesh. I-T raids were common against tax evaders but Mr Naidu and TD leaders were politicising the raids to support corrupt leaders.

Mr Lakshminarayana alleged that Mr Naidu and IT minister Nara Lokesh were trying to loot '10,000 crore of assets of AgriGold which was why the government was unwilling to resolve the issue of the company that had defaulted payments to its depositors.

He said that the AgriGold issue had been taken to the notice of Union home minister Rajnath Singh for action. The AP BJP will stage protests demanding justice for Agri Gold victims from October 22.

Mr Lakshminarayana stated that BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and AP incharge Sunil Deodhar would participate in the agitation at Vijayawada on the first day. He said the High Court had asked the TD government many times to resolve the Agri Gold issue but Mr Naidu had not tried to provide justice to the victims. “We will write a letter to the Union government demanding a CBI inquiry into the matter,” he said.

He said the HC had cautioned the government about handing over of the illegal mining of Piduguralla case to the CBI as it suspected the role of the illegal mining mafia. He asked whether Mr Naidu had the guts to face a CBI inquiry into the issue.