No political conspiracy in Chandrababu Naidu's arrest: AP home minister
KAKINADA: Andhra Pradesh home minister Taneti Vanitha dismissed allegations of political conspiracy in the arrest of former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, saying that the CID went ahead with the arrest after thoroughly investigating the AP Skill Development Corporation scam, in coordination with the GST department and Enforcement Directorate.
Addressing media persons at her camp office in Kovvuru of East Godavari district, she said that due process was followed in Naidu’s arrest, which was done after issuing notices.
She found fault with the comments of BJP state president D. Purandeswari and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan. “In which party is Purandeswari currently? Will she defend those who threw stones at Amit Shah previously and who insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi? And is Purandeswari committed to the party or her relations with family?” Vanitha questioned.
She questioned if it was BJP’s official position that Central institutions like ED and GST were wrong and said that Purandeswari must answer the same before condemning Naidu’s arrest.
Hitting out at Pawan Kalyan, she questioned: “What is the package that Pawan Kalyan is getting in this scam?”
Vanitha said that CID officials told Chandrababu Naidu after arresting him that they would take him by helicopter from Nandyal to Vijayawada, but Chandrababu Naidu did not heed their plea.
She said that the scam first came to light in 2017, during the TD regime, claiming the then government intentionally suppressed it. “Again, another complaint was lodged about the scam in 2018 and Central agencies have thoroughly investigated it,” she said.
The home minister said that Opposition comments and opposition to the arrest were unwarranted.
“There is no political conspiracy in the arrest of Chandrababu Naidu. However, a political conspiracy was made in the arrest of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy during the Congress regime. Chandrababu Naidu knows very well that he committed a blunder and since he knows that he has done wrong, he has been fighting for sympathy for the past three days, anticipating his arrest,” she said.
