ACB To Serve Notice On Naidu, Arrest Imminent

The noose around the neck of TDP supremo and AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu seemed to be tightening in the note-for-vote case and he may be served a notice any day now by the Anti-Corruption Bureau for his alleged complicity in the deal.

According to informed sources, the investigation by the ACB in the note-for-vote case based on inputs secured from the questioning of TDP MLA Revanth Reddy and two others, who were arrested and are now cooling their heels in jail, and the examination of various tapes containing the purported talk between Anglo-Indian nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson and Chandrababu Naidu, seemed to have provided fool-proof evidence to nail the AP Chief Minister.

In fact, legal experts opined that based on various judgments of the Supreme Court in similar instances in the past, there was no scope for Naidu to escape arrest despite any attempts to wriggle out of the web on technical grounds.

Even the already bleak chances of getting bailed out by the NDA government at the Centre are getting diminished as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to be treading cautiously weighing all the pros and cons in the matter.

As the two-week long high tension and political drama surrounding the note-for-vote case is fast reaching its climax, the Chief Ministers of Telangana and AP were busy planning their respective courses of action.

Telangana CM Chandrasekhar Rao appears hell-bent on nailing his AP counterpart, and is accordingly keeping himself apprised of the day-to-day investigations by the ACB. He held prolonged discussions in this regard with ACB Director-General A K Khan, Hyderabad Police Commissioner Mahendar Reddy and other senior police officials.

The issuing of notices to the AP Chief Minister and the subsequent procedures to be undertaken were stated to have figured during KCR's meeting with the senior police officials today.

The repercussions that would follow the serving of a notice to Chandrababu Naidu also seem to have been thoroughly debated.

Naidu too seemed busy charting out his plans by holding discussions with his confidantes and senior police officials to wriggle out of the impending unsavory situation.

As part of a series of brain-storming sessions with police officials and legal luminaries, he again held a meeting today in which Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and union minister Y S Choudhary too participated, besides DGP J V Ramudu and officers of the ACB and the Intelligence wing.

The AP Chief Minister seemed to be under great stress from the fact that he had put a blanket ban on visitors, including party leaders, to his residence.

He is understood to be suspecting insiders within the party of having leaked information leading to the audio and video CDs of the case surfacing.

He also seemed to have stressed at today's meeting the need to unearth all cases filed against the Telangana CM.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is understood to be keeping himself constantly apprised of the developments in the two Telugu States by getting briefings from Central Intelligence officials.

He also discussed the issue with the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who is understood to have explained in detail the inputs secured by the Telangana ACB after getting a brief from Telangana ACB Director General A K Khan. (NSS)