Make JLC Probe Naidu: Jagan Group

Congress MLAs and known supporters of former MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday demanded that the proposed Joint Legislature Committee (JLC) probe the land allotments to business houses in Special Economic Zones (SEZs), investigate all such allocations from 1994 to 2004, too - the period when Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu was the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

Talking to mediapersons at Assembly media-point, the MLAs, including Shobha Nagi Reddy, Konda Surekha and Srikanth Reddy, said that it was indeed surprising that the opposition agreed to the government's demand for a debate on the land allotments before appointing the JLC.

"Surprisingly, prior to agreeing on having a debate, the opposition wasted 10 days of the Assembly's precious time by insisting on a JLC probe without any discussion," Shobha Nagi Reddy pointed out. "I wonder if the sudden change in decision was because of a secret deal between the government and the opposition," she added.

"The TDP had insisted on a JLC probe without any discussion because it was apprehensive that the Congress might reveal the land allocations made by Chandrababu Naidu during his reign. But now, it seems that the opposition and the Congress have struck a deal to discuss the land allocations made only during Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's term," Nagi Reddy alleged.

She also stated that the demand for a JLC probe has sprung up only because Jaganmohan Reddy had entered the political scene.

The MLA demanded that the JLC probe should cover all land allotments from the day on which Naidu took over as the Chief Minister. "This will reveal the dubious deals struck by Naidu during his reign," she added.

Nagi Reddy said that the TDP cannot face Jaganmohan Reddy in the open, and that it was resorting to guerrilla warfare by using the Congress as a pawn and holding the House to ransom to corner the former MP.

The MLA pointed out that during his tenure as the Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu had allotted land to the Raheja Group, but the dubious deals were never made public completely. She also alleged that Naidu had heavily invested in the Margadarsi Chit Funds and the Eenadu Group through benami accounts.

The MLA warned that all these issues would be brought out in the open during the discussions. She also said that the TDP's plan to target Jaganmohan Reddy might boomerang on the main opposition.

Courtesy: INN