Visakhapatnam: Ayyanna Patrudu seeks judicial probe into ESI scam

Visakhapatnam: Former TDP minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu said that labour minister Gummanur Jayaram was competing with Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in corruption.

Speaking to the media here on Friday, the TDP leader alleged that Jayaram has links with the ESI scam.

Displaying images of Jayaram's son Eshwar accepting an expensive car from Karthik, who's already accused No 14 in the ESI scam, as a birthday gift in December, 2019, the TDP leader said that the car was financed and given as a birthday gift to the minister's son.

He said he wanted to know the reason behind presenting such a costly gift to the minister's son and claimed that it was not a birthday gift but a bribe.

The former minister also alleged that Karthik is the 'benami' of minister Jayaram. It's Jayaram who was resorting to corruption in the labour department and not TDP leader K Atchannaidu, Ayyanna Patrudu stated. He demanded a judicial probe into the ESI scam.

The TDP leader dared the Chief Minister to form an inquiry committee in this regard. He wondered how Jagan gets his ministers to scold the Opposition in an 'unparliamentary' language and demanded that minister Jayaram should resign from the cabinet.

Ayyanna said the government was targeting BCs and hence he would not remain silent.

Later, the TDP leader called the toll-free number to file a complaint against Eshwar.

Former minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy was also present.