Jagan Appears Before CBI In OMC Case

Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Friday appealed to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu as the entire land connected to the mining permit lease of the Obulapuram Mining Corporation (OMC) was transferred during Naidu's tenure as the Chief Minister in 2002.

Jagan also submitted a copy of the GO Ms No 80 dated 18-02-2002 issued by the Industries and Commerce Department through which the mining lease on 64.20 acres of land in the Obulapuram village of Rayadurg mandal in Anantapur district was transferred from G Rama Mohan Reddy to the OMC.

Talking to media persons after appearing before the CBI at its office at Kendriya Sadan at Koti in the OMC illegal mining case, Jagan said that it was during Naidu's tenure that the lease was transferred to the OMC. Therefore, his late father and former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was in no way connected to the OMC.

He also clarified that he appeared before the CBI as a witness and not as an accused.

Jagan said that Naidu used his official position for transferring of mining lease to OMC during his stint as the Chief Minister. He asked why the CBI had failed to question Naidu and make him an accused in the case, although the investigation into this case has been going on since 2009.

The YSR Congress president accused the CBI of unnecessarily dragging him into the OMC controversy. He also blamed some media organisations for targeting him, and accused them of indulging in yellow journalism.

Jagan clarified that his appearance before the CBI was for different reasons, and was not similar to that of Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, who also appeared before the CBI to give information as a former Mines minister.

The Kadapa MP reached the CBI office at around 10:45am, and left it at 1:15pm. However, except for disclosing that he submitted the copies of the GO issued during Naidu's regime, Jagan maintained silence over what transpired between him and the CBI officials for about two-and-a-half hours.

Sources say that the CBI recorded Jagan's statement on this issue.

Lok Sabha MP Rajamohan Reddy, and MLAs G Babu Rao and T Balraju also accompanied Jagan to the CBI office from Lotus Pond. Nearly 300 workers of the YSR Congress party also gathered outside the CBI office and raised slogans against the state government, and dubbed the CBI as 'Congress Bureau of Investigation'. (INN)