Hyderabad: Jagan Mohan Reddy arrested, state on high alert

                                                                             
HYDERABAD: After three days of intense interrogation, YSR Congress president Jaganmohan Reddy was arrested by the CBI on Sunday evening in connection with the disproportionate assets case. Apprehending violence from YSR Congress workers and Jagan fans, police enforced prohibitory orders all over Andhra Pradesh.

An uneasy calm prevailed in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions after Jagan's arrest. Shopkeepers pulled down the shutters and the state-run Road Transport Corporation curtailed bus services to the districts. Telangana was cool to the Kadapa MP's arrest.

Police effected preventive arrests of YSR Congress leaders in several towns and mandals to prevent any untoward incident. An RTC bus was attacked in Rajahmundry, while a curfew-like situation prevailed in Kadapa, the home town of Jagan. Cable TV connections were also cut off in places. As of now there is no news of violence.

Earlier, Jagan arrived at the Dilkusha Guest House, where he was interrogated for nearly eight hours. He was accompanied by his trusted aide, Congress MP Sabbam Hari, Congress MLAs Alla Nani and Ranga Rao and senior leaders Bajireddy Goverdhan and Jupudi Prabhakar Rao. His close associate and financial adviser and accused number two in the case Vijay Sai Reddy also came along with Jagan's lawyer Ashok Reddy.

Jupudi Prabhakar Rao, MLC, told reporters that their party president was "unjustly" arrested by the CBI. Later, Jagan's mother and honorary president of YSR Congress Vijayamma, his wife Bharati, sister Sharmila and brother-in-law Anil Kumar rushed to Dilkusha Guest House to meet him. Sources said Jagan would be produced in the special court for CBI cases on Monday, where he is anyway expected to appear in response to a summons issued by the judge.

However, CBI continued to play a cat-and-mouse game, not coming out with all information with the result that a huge poose of newspersons and OB vans landed up before the house of the CBI special judge on Road No. 10, Banjaraq Hills.

As CBI grills Jagan, Congress scrambles to prevent further defections

                                                                                       

Congress leaders scrambled to prevent further desertion after one more legislator from Bobbili, R.V.S.K. Ranga Rao, joined the YSR Congress Party even while its president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy was being grilled by the CBI for the second successive day here on Saturday. He has been asked to appear before the CBI for questioning once again on Sunday.

PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana, who was embarrassed by the defection of an MLA from his native Vizianagaram district, went into fire-fighting mode by contacting other legislators who might cross over to the Jagan camp. He despatched post haste, the district in-charge Ministers to get in touch with the MLAs to convince them to remain in the party fold.

These MLAs, mostly those who sailed with Mr. Jagan before voting on the no-confidence motion in November last, hail from Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, East and West Godavari, Krishna, Prakasam, Guntur, Kurnool, Kadapa and Nalgonda. Even as the ruling party was recovering from the shock of desertion by Eluru MLA Alla Nani on Friday, Mr. Ranga Rao, who is serving his third term as MLA, called on YSR Congress honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma and later Mr. Jagan at their Lotus Pond residence here.

Sensing Mr. Ranga Rao's move, a Minister Kondru Murali and N. Santosh Reddy, younger brother of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, intercepted him at the Hyderabad airport when he landed here from Visakhapatnam. They tried hard to make him change his mind and even made him speak on phone to the Chief Minister.

Mr. Ranga Rao was, however, unwilling to oblige and reportedly stated that he was given a short shrift by the Congress leadership in spite of being a senior MLA.

Adding to the woes of the Congress party, dissident MP from Anakapalli Sabbam Hari went on record saying that a few more MLAs would join the YSRCP in the next couple of days.

Before leaving for questioning by the CBI, Mr. Jagan disclosed to a television channel that he was getting feelers from Congress and TDP MLAs about their willingness to join his party. But he would be choosy about whom to admit.

In Guntur, TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu claimed that desertions from his party would not have any effect. The Congress leaders tried to play down the desertions as Mr. Murali and Chief Whip Gandra Venkataramana Reddy and Whip Anil Kumar said no MLA was joining the YSR Congress, as it was a sinking party.

from Hindu

Waiting game over Jagan's possible arrest

                                                                                

Both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the camp of Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy are playing a waiting game over the issue of his likely arrest in the disproportionate assets case.

Belying speculation of Mr. Jagan's arrest immediately after interrogation on Friday, the CBI chose not to take him into custody either on the first day or even after the second round of questioning on Saturday. It has summoned him for further examination for the third straight day on Sunday.

It is unlikely that the CBI will arrest him on Sunday as he has to appear before the CBI court on the following day – May 28. Legal pundits say that it is not unusual for the police – in this case the CBI – to arrest the accused during or immediately after interrogation as was done in the case of V. Vijay Sai Reddy. But it has to record reasons for taking him into custody even though he is appearing before the agency. The A.P. High Court had directed the CBI to follow this procedure as contemplated in section 41 (A) of Cr. P. C while dealing with Mr. Jagan's petition challenging the CBI's summons.

The CBI may not strain itself on this count since the real drama will anyway unfold on Monday when the agency will file its counter to Mr. Jagan's anticipatory bail application. The CBI can seek Mr. Jagan's custody immediately after his appearance in the court. It may make out a case that he was not cooperating with the investigation and that there would be a serious threat to law and order if he remained at large.

‘Errabelli colluding with YSRCP in Parkal'

                                                                                     

Leaders of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) accused Telugu Desam Party MLA Errabelli Dayakar Rao of colluding with YSR Congress Party in Parkal constituency and of trying to bail out Konda Surekha by making his party cadre scapegoats.

TRS MLA D. Vinay Bhaskar and party district convenor P. Sudarshan Reddy said Mr. Dayakar Rao openly differed with Ms. Surekha and her husband Muralidhar Rao but he still had close connections with them.

He was trying to deceive his party workers by extending indirect support to Ms Surekha, they alleged.

Taking strong exception to the remarks by Mr. Dayakar Rao on their party, the TRS leaders released a questionnaire comprising 25 questions which they said the TDP MLA should answer openly. “We are ready for an open debate on these accusations. Let Mr. Dayakar Rao decide on the date and venue,” they said.

‘Deceived all'

The TRS leaders said Mr. Dayakar Rao deceived all the people who helped him shape his political career and emerge as a leader in the district.

Late TDP leader N. Yathiraja Rao and his son Sudhakar Rao helped him much whom he dumped later.

“Mr Dayakar Rao will not hesitate to make his own party workers scapegoats which he did several times. His personal interests are important than his party's,” Mr. Vinay Bhaskar claimed.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti leaders Boojugundla Rajendra Kumar, Md. Nayeem and others were present at the press conference.

From Hindu

‘YSR death haunting Congress'

                                                                                       

The YSR Congress Party (YSR CP) has alleged that the Congress High Command was harassing Kadapa MP and party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy fearing that the truth behind death of former chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy would come out.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, YSR CP district convener Samineni Udayabhanu said that Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal's firecrackers leave enough indication that he joined hands with the corporate houses that hatched a plot to kill Dr. Reddy. Very soon their shoddy affairs will come to light, he said.

Mr. Rajagopal, who has eyed the chief minister's post, was trying to win the heart of party leadership by criticising Mr. Jagan.

But, he would receive a jolt from his party's high command shortly.

The MP understood the fact of life that he would not win from any of the constituencies in the State through surveys he conducted, and was trying to ‘buy' a Rajya Sabha ticket, he said.

‘Owes explanation'

The MP owes an explanation to people on Lanco Hills land at Hyderabad. Everyone knew that it was Wakf land. He also needs to explain why his brother Sridhar invested in Sakshi newspaper.

Reacting to Mr. Rajagopal's comment that Mr. Jagan threw plates at the dining table in a rage demanding MP's ticket, Mr. Udayabhanu sought to know whether the MP was present at that time. Mr. Rajagopal, who married another woman while the first was still alive, has no right to teach morals to Vijayamma, Dr. Reddy's widow, he said.

The YSR CP will romp home in all 18 Assembly constituencies in the State.

The migrations from Congress party and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have already begun.

The migrations highlight the mistrust among MLAs about the leadership, he added. The YSR CP official spokesperson Gaddam Muttha Reddy spoke.

From Hindu

Mekapati welcomes rivals into YSRCP

                                                                                

Further increasing by-election rhetoric, YSR Congress Party nominee for said that the MLAs from the rival political parties were welcome to join their party now.

Addressing at a press conference here on Saturday, Mr. Rajamohan Reddy said that many leaders were coming forward to join their party because of the growing popularity of their president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.

There was good response from all over the State as the YSRCP nominees were enjoying massive support from all sections of voters in the current by-elections.

Mr. Rajamohan Reddy, whose resignation caused by-election for Nellore LS seat, said that senior leader M.V. Mysura Reddy's joining was a good development and the party would make good use of such a knowledgeable leader's services.

He asserted that Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy was an efficient leader, who should be given all the required support now.

To a question, Mr. Rajamohan Reddy said that their party would have nothing to lose even if the Congress and the Telugu Desam had a hidden deal to sabotage their party nominees' winning chances in the by-elections.

“We will win with comfortable majorities. It is the people, who will decide the fate of candidates ultimately. The plans of our rival parties will be of no use and such efforts will only backfire on them,” he added.

Complain to EC

Several YSRCP leaders, who also spoke, said that they complained to the election authorities regarding large-scale spending by the rival Congress party nominee T. Subbarami Reddy.

They said that if the expenses made by TSR on his nomination day filing were taken into view, it would cross the limit given for the MP seat candidate.

From Hindu

Three YSRCP cadre held

                                                                                             

Police arrested three activists of the YSR Congress Party on charges of burning 100 RTC buses anticipating the arrest of Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday. Police recovered a bottle of petrol from two of them.

One of the arrested, V. Rammohan, 38, is the YSRCP Sevadal city unit convenor who allegedly confessed to planning the attacks on buses on instructions from his party State leaders - including K. Vinay Reddy, P. Pratap Reddy and M.S. Raj Thakur, In-charge Commissioner of Cyberabad, Rajiv Ratan, said at a press conference. Rammohan is the owner of Ramya Breweries.

His arrest was preceded by the detention of two YSRCP activists, S. Srikanth Reddy (27) and K.J. Eliazar (45). A police patrol team of Miyapur station intercepted them at Bollarum crossroads while they were moving on a bike in suspicious circumstances. When police frisked them, they were found carrying a bottle of petrol on Saturday morning.

Initially, they claimed that they carrying petrol to fill a friend's bike which ran of fuel but later admitted that they had planned to burn 100 RTC buses at the instance of V. Rammohan.

Based on their confession, the police arrested Rammohan.

from hindu