Data theft case: KT Rama Rao hits out at N Chandrababu Naidu, Lokesh

Hyderabad: TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao on Monday dared Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to stand up to scrutiny and a probe in the alleged data theft case rather than accusing the Telangana state government of seeking vengeance.

While addressing a press conference here in Telangana Bhavan, he said, “Whenever Mr Naidu is caught red-handed, he seeks stay orders from the court or uses reverse propaganda. We have seen his modus operandi during the cash-for-vote scam and again now in the confidential data theft case. Let Mr Naidu go to the court again as he has got stays already in 18 cases.”

He said Mr Naidu will never clarify or deny allegations made against him in the “cash-for-vote” scam or for that matter even in the data theft case. Mr Naidu and his son Mr Lokesh need not fear for crimes that they have not committed, he added.

Referring to the accusation made by Mr Naidu and Mr Lokesh that the TS government was being vengeful in the data theft investigation, Mr Rama Rao questioned, “Why would the TS government seek vengeance against the people of AP or AP government? What would we gain out of it?”

He demanded to know how the AP government could give confidential data, including voters’ list and Aadhaar data, to a private company which developed an app for the Telugu Desam. “Has there been data theft or not? Let the courts decide,” he said.

He accused Mr Naidu of trying to provoke people and their emotions in order to cover up his own failure in development of Andhra Pradesh.

Mr Rama Rao said that the TS police registered a case under Sections 66 and 72 of the IT Act against four employees of a private firm accused of data theft, as per the Cyber Security laws, based on a complaint by a resident of Kukatpally, T. Lokeswara Reddy, who is a native of AP.