Hyderabad: With different factors coming into play, the Congress and BJP have eased up on their vociferous demand for a CBI probe into the Miyapur land scam.
It is reliably learnt that the BJP’s central leadership had asked the party’s TS unit leaders not to embarrass the ruling TRS government in any manner, at least till the Presidential elections are over.
TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had extended support to the BJP-sponsored NDA Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind two days ago.
State BJP leaders had planned to visit to Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to seek a CBI probe into the Miyapur and related land scams that surfaced recently.
It is learnt that the party leadership discouraged them and told the state leaders not to displease the TRS for a few more days.
When a BJP leader was starting to address a media conference on the issue, he was told by the Central leadership not to go ahead.
Different reasons are being attributed to the Congress toning down its belligerence on the land scams. One is the alleged involvement of a few local Congress leaders in the scam and the other is encouragement given to scam kingpin ‘Goldstone’ Prasad and his close association with a few AICC level leaders in Delhi during the previous Congress regime.
The threat of irrigation minister T Harish Rao that the government will bring out the names of Congress leaders involved in the scams also reportedly slowed down the party.
Congress leaders were supposed to meet party’s national leaders in Delhi to bring pressure on the Centre for a CBI probe.
When contacted, TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy told this newspaper, “There is no pressure from AICC leaders on us not to take up any follow-up action with regard to the Miyapur land scam. We have visited the site and also represented the matter to the Governor.”
The only thing left, Uttam Kumar Reddy said, was to meet the Union home minister with a representation to order a CBI probe. “Since we are busy with scheduled party programmes, we will be doing so after June 23. Even national leaders are busy with the Presidential polls.”
