Post date: Aug 16, 2011 6:44:50 AM
It was all the fault of N Chandrababu Naidu, said YSR Congress president Jaganmohan Reddy. Referring to the AP High Court ordering a comprehensive CBI probe into his assets and the alleged quid pro quo land allotments made by the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy government between 2004 to 2009, Jagan told select media on Monday that his father only followed the industrial policy that was formulated and pursued by his predecessor Naidu.
"Why are Naidu's land allocations not being probed? My father had only followed the policies of Naidu in allotting land to industries, ports and SEZs," Jagan said after unfurling the national flag at his party office in Jubilee Hills on Monday. "It is unfair to selectively target YSR. He helped the Congress return to power twice, both in the state and the Centre," he added and made it clear that all the land allotments were cleared by the then Cabinet and that it should take the responsibility for all the decisions of the YSR government. Jagan claimed that all the investors who pumped in money into his companies are genuine and that what flowed in was legal money.
"My friend Prasad invested Rs 256 crore and in return, got Rs 500 crore. This is absolutely transparent and can be verified by anyone. And contrary to what is being alleged, there are only three investors in Bharathi Cements and all of them got good returns before I sold my stake to a foreign company recently," he said. Jagan also refuted allegations of any irregularities or violations of the Prevention of Corrpution Act and Money Laundering (Prevention) Act by investors in Jagathi Publications, Bharathi Cements and Sandur Power Company, all of which are owned by him.
Hitting out at the Congress for what he described as a vendetta against him for having quit the ruling party, Jagan said: "I am alone and young in my fight against those trying to malign me. The Congress is indulging in vindictive and witch-hunt politics against me and my party. Only after my exit from that party that these vindictive actions were initiated." Jagan said, and questioned the sincerity of the UPA government in fighting corruption. "If Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was sincere, why did he not order a CBI probe into the 2G scam when there were so many demands for the same," he said.
Jagan also alleged that a section of the vernacular media was spreading a mis-information campaign against him and announced his decision to move the Supreme Court against AP High Court order that allowed the CBI to conduct a full-fledged inquiry into his assets.
Referring to the TDP president, Jagan said Naidu had once described the CBI as Congress bureau of investigation, but had no hesitation in welcoming the probe ordered against him. However, in what is being hinted as a reconciliatory approach by Jagan to the Congress, the YSR Congress chief later said that he was not against any particular political party except the BJP. This led to speculations in political circles as to whether Jagan was offering the olive branch to the Congress in the wake of the CBI probe.