VIJAYAWADA: On a day when the BJP leaders commenced a relay hunger strike holding the State government responsible for allegedly delaying justice to the victims of AgriGold scam, the ruling TDP said the matter was sub judice and threatened to file a petition in the High Court against the saffron party.
Taking to Twitter, Information Technology Minister Nara Lokesh, in a series of tweets, termed the BJP’s relay hunger strike “ridiculous”.
In a tweet, Lokesh said that the Centre had denied special category status to the State. “Despite several appeals from government, the BJP-led Union government is yet to support the State to take up relief works in cyclone-ravaged Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts. Now the party has come with a conspiracy against AP in the name of AgriGold,” he said.
“In fact, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is striving his best to do justice to the victims of the AgriGold scam, which is under the purview of the Hight Court.”“It would be better if the BJP leaders stopped levelling baseless allegations, belittling the court. They should come out with evidence, if they have any. If the BJP is genuinely concerned about the victims, the Centre should announce a bailout package,” he said in another tweet.
Meanwhile, AP Planning Board Vice-President C Kutumba Rao said by finding fault with the online auctioning process of AgriGold assets under the supervision of the High Court, the BJP leaders were humiliating the High Court. He also urged the court to file suo motu cases against BJP leaders Ram Madhav, Kanna Lakshminarayana and others for their remarks.
Refuting the claim of the BJP leaders that the High Court faulted the State government on AgriGold issue, Rao dared them to show at least a single piece of evidence in support of their claims. “But, I can show a lot of newspaper clippings on High Court praising the action of the State government on the issue,” he said. TDP spokesperson Panchumarthi Anuradha sought to know why the BJP leaders were organising ‘deekshas’ only in Andhra Pradesh despite the fact that people from eight States, including those ruled by the BJP, fell victims to AgriGold scam.
Kanna suggested sale of AgriGold’s Haailand property at a cost of ` 3,000 crore despite the fact that it would not be worth more than `300 crore. If such was the case, why didn’t the BJP leaders come forward for purchasing it, she asked.