Assets case: CBI gets 5-day custody of Jagan Mohan Reddy

                                                                          
HYDERABAD: In a setback to the YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy ahead of by-elections, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Saturday sent him to the CBI custody for further questioning in its probe into his alleged disproportionate assets.

This comes a day after the CBI court dismissing his petition for interim bail to campaign for the by-elections for 18 Assembly and one Lok Sabha constituencies scheduled for 12 June.

Though the CBI had sought custody for 10 days, Justice B. Chandra Kumar of AP High Court ordered custody for only five days from Sunday.

Jagan, the Kadapa MP and son of late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who died in a helicopter crash in September 2009, was arrested by the investigating agency on 27 May and produced before the CBI court on 28 May.

Though the CBI sought immediate custody of Jagan for further questioning, the CBI court refused its plea and sent him to judicial custody for 14 days. He is now lodged in Chanchalguda Central Jail.

The CBI, which is probing into the case on the directives of the AP High Court in August last year, accused Jagan of amassing huge assets through illegal means by using influence of his father, then chief minister. Jagan, who rebelled against the ruling Congress party to float his own political outfit YSR Congress after his father's death, was accused of weaving a web of business connections and making many prominent business houses and industrialists to invest in his business for favours doled out by his father's government.

Challenging his arrest, Jagan moved the High Court with a quash petition. CBI also moved the High Court seeking his custody for further interrogation to crack the case. While Jagan is the prime accused, the CBI accused 18 individuals and entities in three charge sheets filed so far and arrested five persons. The arrested include businessman Nimmagadda Prasad, bureaucrat Brahmananda Reddy, former minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana and auditor of YSR family businesses V. Vijai Sai Reddy.

The CBI was directed to question Jagan from 10.30am to 5pm for five days in the presence of two advoca

Jagan future CM, says Sharmila

                                                                                 

Sharmila, daughter of former Chief Minister late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on Friday expressed her eagerness to see her brother Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy as Chief Minister.

Addressing an impromptu and impressive gathering at Koparru under this Assembly segment, she exuded confidence that her brother would become Chief Minister some day and come out of all the plots being hatched by his rivals unscathed.

Undeterred by the heat wave conditions with temperatures touching 47 degrees C, Ms. Sharmila accompanied by her mother Vijayamma, took part in electioneering in defence of her brother. She obliged the requests from the audience for brief speeches on behalf of her mother.

Ms. Vijayamma made no hard hitting and lengthy speeches and tried to convey her message through public appearance in an open top jeep with folded hands punctuated by occasional smiles. Even as Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy accused Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy of undermining politics with his alleged corrupt practices from an election rally at Narsapur on Thursday, Ms. Sharmila gave a call to the people to vote for her brother who upheld values and credibility in politics.

A cheerful crowd at Koparru did not let Ms. Vijayamma to be silent. The youth stopped the convoy insisting she speak. Ms Vijayamma said: “Jagan babu wanted me to convey you all (people) that the conspiracies hatched against him will no longer work. She assured the people that her son will soon come back to meet her”.

The mother and daughter touched a series of villages inhabited by SCs and BCs who constitute a major chunk of the electorate. In SC colonies, women with copies of Bible in their hands were seen craning their heads to get a glimpse of Ms. Vijayamma .

from Hindu

Vijayamma to visit Nellore on June 8

                                                                                 

YSR Congress Party honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma and her daughter Sharmila will address by-election road shows in the SPS Nellore district on June 8 and 9. Party district convener Kakani Govardhan Reddy confirmed the visit.

The party cadres have been eagerly awaiting the visit of YSR family members after Kadapa MP Y.S.Jaganmohan Reddy was remanded to judicial custody. Vijayamma and Sharmila will campaign for party nominee for Nellore MP seat, Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, and nominee for Udayagiri Assembly seat, Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy.

from Hindu

‘Jagan deserves 14 years jail'

                                                                                    

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday said Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy deserved to be jailed for at least 14 years for his corrupt actions and financial irregularities committed during the last four years.

Addressing a meeting in temple town of Srimukhalingam forming part of Narasannapeta constituency, he alleged that Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy and his family members were politicising even the helicopter crash in which YSR died, only to win the by-elections.

Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy rejected the allegations made by Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy's mother Vijayamma and sister and said the CBI inquiry was ordered by the High Court and the Congress had nothing to do with it.

“YSR ordered a CBI inquiry against Jagan in Paritala Ravi's murder case. But Jagan and his family members did not say anything. Now, they are making a hue and cry over the CBI inquiry into Jagan's assets though it was ordered by the court..”

from hindu

Congress was always generous to YSR, his family: Purandeswari

                                                                                       

Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeswari has said none of the programmes introduced by the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh during the time of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had been suspended.

Addressing a series of election meetings in Allagadda constituency of Kurnool district on Friday, she said free power, fee reimbursement for weaker section students, housing, subsidised rice and all other programmes of the Congress party were being implemented with all sincerity and enthusiasm in the State. In fact, improvements were made to some of the programmes such as rice scheme.

She said the Congress had been generous to Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and his family from the beginning by rewarding him with posts like APCC president, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and Chief Minister twice. Soon after his death, the Kadapa district was named after Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. In fact, NTR deserved the same honour of naming Krishna district after him, had Mr. Chandrababu Naidu been kind to him, she said.

She criticized the family of Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy for throwing the blame on Sonia Gandhi saying that the AICC president had never counselled Mr. Reddy to stop “Oodarpu Yatra” but only advised to conduct it as party programme. Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy should explain to public what had transpired between him and the AICC leaders over ‘Oodarpu Yatra' instead of everybody raking up a controversy over it.

She accused the family of Jaganmohan Reddy of getting obsessed with the post of Chief Minister.

Mrs. Purandeswari visited Govindapalli in Sirivel mandal near Nandyal, Yarraguntla, Venkatapuram, Vanikidinne, Rajya Nagar, Ammireddy Nagar, Bhagya Nagar and Ramachandrapuram, most of the places inhabited by Andhra settlers. She was accompanied by Gangula Prabhakar Reddy, brother of Congress candidate G. Pratap Reddy who was campaigning elsewhere in the constituency.

Mild tension prevailed at Yarraguntla when her convoy ran into the TDP campaign party. The police swung into action and cleared the supporters of both groups.

from Hindu

Congress flays Vijayamma's doubts over YSR's death

                                                                           

Congress MLA of Kamalapuram, G.Veerasiva Reddy criticised YSR Congress Party honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma on Friday alleging she was raising doubts on her husband and former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's demise in a helicopter crash for gaining political mileage.

Addressing a press conference at Indira Bhavan here, Mr. Veerasiva Reddy condemned Ms. Vijayamma's charge that Congress was behind her husband's mysterious death and alleged that Ms. Vijayamma and Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy could have plotted it with a view to making the latter Chief Minister. Accusing Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy of amassing by illegal means, he demanded that the Enforcement Directorate confiscate the assets of Sakshi group, Sandur Power and Bharti Cements alleging that they were started with illegal proceeds.

YSRCP leader Ambati Rambabu claimed that the State would burn if Jagan was arrested, but the people did not respond, Mr. Veerasiva Reddy alleged. Former Proddatur MLA N. Varadarajulu Reddy maintained that Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy was arrested by the CBI on laying hands on vital evidence in its inquiry. There was no scope for making charges on the CBI and the government as the law was taking its course, he asserted and cited the arrest of former Union Telecom Minister Raja, MP Kanimozhi and Minister Mopidevi Venkataramana. The people are the best judges, he said.

Mr.Varadarajulu Reddy and former MLA K. Sivananda Reddy alleged that Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy was trying to gain power by hook or crook to loot the State. YSRCP was luring MLAs to destabilise the government but Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy was ruling the State with honesty and transparency. Corruption was a scourge and if unchecked, would have an adverse impact on the country as well as the State. They charged Ms. Vijayamma of trying to gain by invoking sentiments, although her son was facing charges of amassing wealth.

from hindu