YSR Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy today said he was getting feelers from several leaders in both the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party, who were keen to join his party. Talking to NDTV, Mr Reddy said Bobbili Congress legislator Ranga Rao joined his party today while senior TDP leader Mysoora Reddy did so yesterday. He claimed that after these elections, there will be only two parties left in Andhra Pradesh. One of them will be the YSR Congress party. Both the Congress and the TDP fear that they may lose out and that is why they have come together to “eliminate political competition.” Mr Reddy made these remarks before leaving for the Dilkusha guest house, the camp office of the CBI, where he is being questioned for the second day by the investigating agency in connection with the alleged disproportionate assets case against him.
He said a four-member CBI team had questioned him yesterday. No official of the Enforcement Directorate was present at that time.
He said the questions were not related to just about his companies and business associates but also about his investments before his father became Chief Minister. Mr Reddy said he did not fear arrest. “There is a conspiracy that has been hatched out against me. Previously, I have written a letter to the Prime Minister (on May 22), to the CEC and have been speaking about it in public meetings. “The conspiracy is that for nine months the CBI remained silent, without giving me summons. But now, after the CBI court gives me summons, and before I appear before the special CBI court on May 28, I had received the summons from the investigating agency,” he added. “I talked about the conspiracy theory on May 22, and that night, at 0000 hours, the CBI was in a hurry to give me summons before the conspiracy theory gets into the people’s mind,” Mr Reddy said.
“They asked me to appear before them on May 25. I knew beforehand that the CBI will be issuing summons against me. I had made it clear that the CBI wants to make this arrest 15 days before the elections and create a law and order situation, and postpone these elections. That is their strategy,” he added. Speaking about the current political scenario in Andhra Pradesh, Mr Reddy said, “Within the Congress party as well as the Telugu Desam Party, a lot of good leaders – in fact I am very choosy and picky in taking them only on merit- are coming forward against this injustice where two parties wanting to eliminate the third party” “My top priority is to have these elections conducted and to show to the country what kind of injustice is being done in Andhra Pradesh,” he added. “The people have heard their version, people have heard my version and they are in full knowledge of what is happening and the people would be voting against the injustice being done here,” he added. UNI