CBI questions Jaganmohan Reddy for 8 hrs

                                                                                  
HYDERABAD: YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy was questioned by CBI sleuths for nearly eight hours on Friday, with agency sources saying his quizzing will continue on Saturday. A tired looking Jagan emerged from the CBI office around 6:45pm and told waiting reporters, "I was asked for clarifications. I gave them clarifications. I've been asked to come tomorrow."

Jagan also turned the moment into a show of strength, ensuring three senior political leaders called on him just as he was to enter Dilkusha guest house, the makeshift CBI office. Former TDP Rajya Sabha MP M V Mysura Reddy, Congress MP from Anakapalli Sabbam Hari and ruling party MLA from Eluru Alla Nani got considerable media attention for their timing to switch loyalties.

Although not much is known about what transpired inside the CBI office, it's believed that Jagan revealed little, frustrating the interrogators. Sources said CBI joint director V V Lakshminarayana questioned Jagan, while other teams quizzed former excise minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, industrialist and promoter of Vanpic, Nimmagadda Prasad and bureaucrat K V Brahmananda Reddy. Vanpic deal involves allegedly illegal transfer of 23,000 acres of land to build a private port.

Contrary to earlier indications, the four were not questioned jointly. However, such a confrontation may happen on Saturday, said the sources. The questioning was limited to, apart from the Vanpic deal, to land allotments and issuance of government orders by the YSR regime and investments into Jagan's companies by the promoter. Jagan said he knew nothing about the deal and if the promoter had invested in his venture, it was because the latter found business sense to do so.

CBI sources did not confirm whether Jagan would be arrested after questioning on Saturday. "At this stage, all we can say is he would be questioned extensively on Saturday," an official said, adding, there was a chance that the matter would be left to CBI principal special judge A Pullaiah. The YSR Congress chief will appear before the judge on May 28 in response to court summons in the assets case.
from times of india

Jagan keen on postponing by-polls: Botcha

                                                                            
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Botcha Satyanarayana said here on Friday that it was Kadapa MP Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy and not the Congress who was desperate to get the by-elections postponed by triggering violence.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Satyanarayana ridiculed Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy's allegation that the Congress Government had conspired with other parties and agencies to get the by-elections put off by unleashing violence and blaming it on him.

Denies charge

“Why should we postpone the elections? We had taken a conscious decision to disqualify the Congress MLAs who defied the party whip during voting on the no-confidence motion. Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy is trying to deflect the attention from the CBI case by levelling allegations against us,” he said.

He denied the charge that the government had conspired to get him arrested ahead of the by-polls.

“The case against him was filed in August last. If we were really interested in fixing him, the arrest would have taken place long back,” he said.

Nexus with criminals

Mr. Jagan was facing the cases because of his own wrongdoings and several others were paying the price for his illegal actions. “Our own Minister has landed in custody because he signed the file to benefit Vanpic at the behest of then Chief Minister Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy,” he said.

The PCC chief accused Mr. Jagan of being hand-in-glove with criminal elements and cited his association with Mangali Krishna, an accused in the arms selling case and murders. He wanted people to see through the game plan of the YSR Congress leader and give a fitting reply to him in the by-elections
from Hindu

I did no wrong, says Jagan

                                                                      

The interrogation of Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy by the CBI centred around the allotment of land to Vodarevu and Nizamapatnam Port and Industrial Corridor (Vanpic) project as a quid pro quo benefit for Nimmagadda Prasad for investing Rs. 350 crore in Sakshi daily.

As a battery of CBI sleuths grilled Mr. Jagan on Vanpic, which has taken centre-stage in the ongoing probe after the arrests of Mr. Prasad and Excise Minister Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao, the Kadapa MP is said to have strongly defended the investments in Sakshi strictly on the ground that it was a business proposition.

While details of the interrogation are not available, Mr. Jagan said in an interview on Thursday that neither he nor Mr. Nimmagadda Prasad has committed any wrong. “What mistake did Mr. Prasad commit? There is no reason for him to be arrested by the CBI,” he said.

Vanpic issue

He contended that it was the then Congress government that had given the Vanpic project to Ras Al Khaima (RAK) which was not a private company but a sovereign State in the United Arab Emirates.

“It was Andhra Seaports Company that had first proposed Vanpic project in 1999-2000. But, the company withdrew and the then TDP government handed it over to the Czech government,” he said.

An MoU was also signed with the Czech government but the agreement was cancelled and only then did RAK come into the picture. After RAK signed an MoU with the AP government, Nimmagadda Prasad was appointed its local partner, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy claimed.

He said there was no link between Mr. Prasad being the local partner of RAK and his investments in his companies. While the agreement with Czech government was cancelled in September 2007, Mr. Prasad invested money in August 2007. “The name of RAK did not crop up at that time,” he added.

The YSR Congress leader said there were instances of the Chandrababu Naidu government having favoured certain persons in respect of Krishnapatnam, Gangavaram and Kakinada ports. Gangavaram project was given away to Dubai government but the local partner was D. V. S. Raju. Similarly, Krishnapatnam and Kakinada Ports also had foreign connections.

He said Mr. Prasad earned Rs. 600 crore by selling away his shares in Bharati Cements in which he invested Rs. 280 crores.

“He invested Rs. 350 crore in Sakshi media group in April 2010 – eight months after my father passed away. How can it be a quid pro quo arrangement,” he asked.

Referring to CBI's objections on valuation for his media group, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy said Eenadu group's valuation was put at Rs. 6,700 crore where as its accumulated losses on that day was put at Rs. 1,800 crore. “We came into the market with 20 editions and high end technology. Is it wrong to give half that valuation for our publication when our print order was 12.50 lakh,” he said.

from Hindu

Blindfolded YSRCP protesters arrested

                                                                                 

Police arrested some YSR Congress Party activists at Ambedkar statue near Kadapa RTC bus stand on Friday when they staged a blindfolded demonstration deploring the CBI inquiry into the party president and Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy's assets. The activists also placed a memorandum in the statue's hand deploring the inquiry.

Raise slogans

YSRCP activists B. Nityananda Reddy, P. Sunil Kumar, Kareemullah, Rajeswari, Swarnalatha and others raised slogans against the Kiran Kumar Reddy Government and the CBI.

Those arrested on charge of violating prohibitory orders under Section 144 IPC were shifted to Chinna Chowk police station.

from hindu

Disproportionate assets case: CBI grills Jagan Mohan Reddy in Hyderabad amidst heavy security

                                                                                   

Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday appeared before the CBI for the second round of questioning in connection with the alleged disproportionate assets case.

Mr. Jagan, who was grilled for more than eight hours on Friday, was questioned about the alleged irregularities with regard to VANPIC project, according to CBI sources.

He was questioned in the presence of other accused Nimmagadda Prasad, an industrialist, and Brahamananda Reddy, former Special Secretary Infrastructure Department Andhra Pradesh.

Terming the quizzing as “peaceful”, the Kadapa MP said that “clarifications have been sought and have been given. I will be facing them (CBI) again. I will be giving them further clarifications.”

The CBI had already arrested state Excise Minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao, who held infrastructure portfolio during Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s regime.

CBI alleged that the government orders issued by Mr. Mopidevi and Mr. Brahamananda Reddy with regard to VANPIC project were not according to Cabinet decisions.

This is for the first time since the CBI lodged an FIR against him in August last, and subsequently filed three charge sheets against him, that Mr. Jagan was quizzed by the agency.

The CBI alleges that Mr. Jagan “influenced” his father and late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy into doling out favours to select investors as a quid-pro-quo for investing into his businesses.

The probe agency had earlier said it wanted to question Mr. Jagan on the Vadarevu and Nizampatnam Ports and Industrial Corridor (VANPIC) deal in the presence of Nimmagadda Prasad and Brahamananda Reddy who are already under arrest.

Prasad is the promoter in the VANPIC deal and allegedly invested Rs 850 crore in the business of Jagan for land allotment made to the VANPIC project by the then YSR regime.

from hindu