"Naidu Taking Refuge In Stay Orders"

Describing TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu as an escapist for "taking refuge in stay orders", Raychoti MLA Srikanth Reddy, on Saturday, said it would be dignified on the former's part if he volunteers for an inquiry into the allegations that have surfaced against him.

"Naidu has never faced a trial, and has always been evading courts and inquiries through stay orders. If he is sincere and has nothing to hide, he should voluntarily depose before the court and answer all the questions raised on his illegal assets and corruption charges," he told reporters at the YSRC Party office in Hyderabad.

He added that similar charges were levelled against Y S Jaganmohan, who, he said is facing them "boldly" and extending his cooperation to the legal system and the investigating authorities. This, Srikanth Reddy claimed, was because the YSR Cngress believes in the legal system while Chandrababu Naidu "always tries to run away from reality".

He also said that Naidu claiming that he was given a clean chit on the case filed by Y S Vijayamma was ridiculous.

"Even before his father became the Chief Minister, Jagan had a Rs. 140 crore power plant, and was an entrepreneur. Neither did he lobby for any favours after YSR took over the reins of the state," he said.

Taking strong objection to the language used by Naidu against YSR on the issue os YSR's statues, he said that such language is not acceptable in a civil society.

It is unbecoming of a former Chief Minister to utter "such words", he said.

YSR fans have voluntarily contributed to the statues, and most of them are from the weaker sections and minorities, he sought to clarify.

Srikanth Reddy also said that Naidu's claim that he was responsible for the IT development in the state cannot be taken at its face value, as there was an IT boom all over the world from the mid-'90s. Development would have taken place irrespective of the Chief Minister, he said. (INN)