VIJAYAWADA: Tempers ran high in the Assembly on Thursday as the debate on the AgriGold issue rocked the House, leading to the treasury benches and the Opposition daring each other to prove their charges.
After Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu made a statement in the House announcing Rs 3 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of those who committed suicide after being duped by AgriGold, Leader of Opposition YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said the statement had come as a dampener for the victims who had high hopes on him.
"We expected that the government would consider the demands of the victims on humanitarian grounds and would do justice to them, but the government has remained indifferent to most of their demands," he alleged.
Stating that nearly 14 lakh of the total 19.5 lakh victims of the AgriGold scam could get respite if the government allocated `1,182 crore. The YSRC chief suggested that as the process of auctioning the assets of AgriGold was taking time, the government could first make the payment to the victims and later adjust the proceeds from auction against the money paid out.
Alleging that the CID had failed to arrest all those in the management of AgriGold, he said Seetharam, one of the brothers of prime accused A Venkatarama Rao and his relatives were selling the properties belonging to AgriGold. "Ankayamma, wife of Agriculture Minister P Pulla Rao, too, has bought land belonging to AgriGold," he said.
Objecting to the allegation of the YSRC chief, Pulla Rao lashed out that the lands bought by his family had nothing to do with the AgriGold scam and said he would bid politics adieu if Jagan proved the allegations against him and dared the YSRC chief to do the same if the charges were proven false. Rao also agreed to a House Committe probe.
Reacting to Rao's remarks, Jagan said a House Committe investigation was of no use as it would predominantly contain members of the ruling party and demanded that the government order a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge.
At this juncture, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu intervened saying that he had no objection to a judicial inquiry on the condition that Jagan would agree to be expelled from the house if the charges were proved false. He said he was ready to remove Rao from the House if he was convicted.
TDP leaders who demanded in chorus that Jagan take up the challenge also took the opportunity to remind people of how certain sections of the media had distorted Speaker Kodela Siva Prasad’s speech on women at a presser and sought action against the newspaper's management. The CM went as far as to suggest that the speech be retelecast in the House for the benefit of its members. The Speaker said he was hurt by the negative publicity.
As soon as the House reassembled, YSRC members including Jagan tried to raise the AgriGold issue, but, after watching the telecast of the Speaker’s speech, the YSRC members trooped out of the Assembly.
The Chief Minister insisted that both the issues - Challenge thrown by Pulla Rao to Jagan Mohan Reddy and the Sakshi media-broadcasting and publishing ""distorting"" Speaker's comments on women's issue should be taken up for discussion in the House after the completion of the Question Hour on Friday.
The opposition leader either should pick up the challenge or tender apology if he had no evidence to prove allegations against Pulla Rao, the Chief Minister asserted.
Later, speaking to media-persons, Jagan Mohan Reddy took strong exception to the way proceedings went on in the House and said that the government deliberately diverted the discussion on Agri Gold issue by digging an episode (Speaker’s speech) which happened 40 days ago.