Andhra Pradesh: Kanna Lakshminarayana, Vijayasai verbal duel hots up

Guntur/Visakhapatnam: The spat between YSRCP senior leader and Rajya Sabha member V Vijayasai Reddy and BJP state president turning increasingly vociferous by day with both leaders hurling allegations and counter allegations against each other.

Reacting to BJP state chief's allegations of corruption and his threat of suit of defamation against him for his charge of taking money from TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, Vijaya Sai Reddy on Tuesday made it clear that he had not resorted to corruption at any level and he was ready to come to Kanipakam or Tirumala to swear in front of his revered God Lord Venkateswara.

Speaking to media in Visakhapatnam, the MP asked if Kanna Lakshminarayana and BJP MP Y Sujana Chowdary too were ready to prove they had never resorted to corruption in their life. He accused Sujana of resorting to corruption at unprecedented level by creating hundreds of bogus companies and swindling thousands of crores of funds from banks.

He recalled that Sujana was one of his clients when the former was practising as an auditor in Chennai. "I don't have any personal differences with Sujana but political," the MP clarified. Describing Lakshminarayana as "corrupt to the core," the YSRCP MP reiterated his charge that he got sold for Rs.20 crore.

In response to Vijayasai Reddy's comments in Vizag, Lakshminarayana reiterated his willingness to swear before Kanipakam Siddi Vinayaka to prove his innocence and dared the YSRCP MP to do the same. He said he would fix the date for swearing after completion of lockdown.

Addressing a press meet at his residence in Guntur, state BJP chief reminded that Vijayasai Reddy was going every week to court and swearing on Bhagavadgita. "Similarly, similarly he would come to Kanipakam temple to swear on Lord Vinayaka as it just a habit for him, without any seriousness," he said. Vehemently denying allegations that he had siphoned of party election fund during 2019 elections, he said BJP had no culture of spending money for purchase of votes like YSRCP.

He said that the MP was attacking him personally when he questioned the government on the cost of Covid-19 test kits and wondered how Vijayasai Reddy was concerned with it. He said that the YSRCP government had committed a mistake and that is why they were trying to divert the attention of people.

Replying to a question, he said that the time will decide whether the state capital Amaravati will be shifted to Vizag or not. He criticised that the government was allowing Vijayasai Reddy to move freely in spite of lockdown.