Cash for vote' case fans fire

Hyderabad: The ‘cash for vote’ case of 2015 is set to heat up politics in the Telugu States ahead of the Assembly polls in TS. 

The Telangana government is learnt to be seriously pursuing the case with central investigation agencies, and political speculation is rife that a major development is expected on this issue in the first week of October. 

The Enforcement Directorate is expected to serve notices to Telugu Desam chief and AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and then TD MLA and current Congress leader A. Revanth Reddy on the source of the Rs 5 crore that was allegedly promised to nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson during the alleged telephonic conversation between Mr Naidu and Mr Stephenson, and also in the videotaped conversation between Mr Revanth Reddy and Mr Stephenson. 

The Anti Corruption Bureau recovered '50 lakh from the place where Mr Stephenson was offered the money by Mr Revanth Reddy. 

The TRS government now wants the ED to investigate the whereabouts of the remaining Rs 4.5 crore, and the source of the money, and has managed to get a ‘concrete assurance’ at Delhi-level that it will be done.

A top TRS leader said, “You are going to witness unprecedented political developments in Telangana any time till the first week of October. This will have political repercussions not only in TS but also in AP. Sword is hanging over AP 

CM Chandrababu and also Revanth Reddy in the cash for vote case. This time, the top investigative agencies from Delhi will spring into action.”

The timing of the revival of the case is crucial with early polls to the TS Assembly  round the corner, and the TDP, which is the arch rival of the TRS, in the process of joining the Congress-led ‘grand alliance’ to defeat the TRS.

AP Chief Minister Naidu, who confined his activities mostly to Amaravathi after the cash for vote case broke, has started intensifying political activity in TS after the TS Assembly was dissolved on September 6.

He held two meetings within 15 days in Hyderabad with TTDP leaders, one at Dilkusha Guest House and the other at NTR Trust Bhavan. He is also summoning TTDP leaders to Amaravathi frequently to discuss poll related issues.

Recently, TRS leaders held a press meet where they accused Mr Naidu of deploying AP’s intelligence and police staff to undertake surveys in Telangana on the winning chances of the party and trying to use money to influence results here.