YSRCP leaders corner Chandrababu Naidu on IT raids on his Ex PS

Amaravati: The cabinet ministers and the YSRCP leaders came down heavily on the TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday, making him accountable for the allegedly ill-gotten money unearthed by the Income Tax department from his former Personal Secretary P Srinivas.

The YSRCP leaders criticised that, the IT raids on the houses of former personal secretary Chandrababu Naidu revealed just the tip of the iceberg and many skeletons would tumble to prove that TDP leadership was the fountainhead of corruption.

Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu said the IT raids clearly proved how corrupt Chandrababu Naidu was. He wondered how many crores of fraud would come to light if raids were conducted on the houses of Chandrababu Naidu and his son Lokesh. He demanded an inquiry into Chandrababu Naidu's assets by the Enforcement Directorate.

People came to know how Chandrababu Naidu plundered the government treasury, Kannababu said. He asked why Chandrababu Naidu was silent now.

Minister Balineni Srinivas Reddy said the role of Chandrababu Naidu in the multi-crore scam was evident from the IT raids. He demanded that a CBI inquiry should be conducted into it.

Minister Velampalli Srinivas said that the Central government should look into the fraud committed by Chandrababu Naidu during his regime and added that Chandrababu Naidu did not allow the CBI to enter the State as he was afraid that he would be exposed. He said that Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan was not reacting as he was also involved in the scam. Minister Cherukuvada Sriranganatha Raju said nobody can escape the wrath of law-enforcing authorities for committing financial frauds.

Minister Avanti Srinivas said he had said even before the elections that corruption had reached its zenith in the execution of Polavaram and Pattiseema projects. He said Chandrababu Naidu was adept in money laundering and this could be gauged by the fact that Rs 2,000 crore fraud was found in his personal secretary's possession.

Deputy Chief Minister Amjad Basha said Chandrababu Naidu's corrupt past would now be a talking point in the whole country and the Centre should initiate legal action against him.

Basha said Lokesh indulged in taking bribes for the execution of all the projects. He said this was just the beginning of the exposure into the shady deals of Chandrababu Naidu and his cronies and there was much to come.

Minister Dharmana Krishna Das said people voted out Chandrababu Naidu as they wanted a corruption-free government. He said Chandrababu Naidu, Lokesh and Pawan Kalyan should be bold enough to react to the incriminating evidence found in the scam by the IT raids. Government Chief Whip Gadikota Srikanth Reddy said Chandrababu Naidu proved to be the brand ambassador for corruption which started with the vote-for-note scam. He said all those who were involved in the scam should be brought to book and added that Naidu was unnecessarily harping on the Amaravati capital issue just to outwit people of the corrupt practices that he had indulged in.