VIJAYAWADA: Challenging GVL Narasimha Rao for a public debate on the Personal Deposit (PD) account issue, AP Planning Board Vice-Chairman C Kutumba Rao said he would resign from his post if the BJP MP could prove that the TDP government misused the money available in the said accounts.
In a press statement issued on Sunday, Kutumba Rao invited Narasimha Rao to Amaravati on Monday for the debate. “If the BJP MP could prove that even one rupee from the PD accounts was misused, I would resign from my post. If he fails to prove, is Narasimha Rao ready to quit his MP post, which he secured using blackmailing tactics in the name of surveys?” he challenged. He also offered to take tuitions to Narasimha Rao on PD accounts as the latter was misleading the public out of ignorance.
Earlier in the day, Kutumba Rao held a press conference in Hyderabad to refute the allegations made by Narasimha Rao that the TDP government diverted `53,039 crore through the PD accounts. “The PD accounts are under critical monitoring of the ministries. If there were any irregularities, he could complain to the Central Vigilance Commission, which is under the purview of the Centre,” he said.
He explained that there were 16,700 PD account administrators in the State and of them 12,918 were from village panchayats, 180 from agriculture market committees, 210 from Urban Local Bodies, 180 from civil courts and other organisations, including MPPs and autonomous bodies.
“All the transactions happen only with the permission and scrutiny of the treasury. Especially after we introduced Comprehensive Financial Management System, there is no scope for irregularities or diversion of funds at all,” he clarified.
The AP Planning Board Vice-Chairman further observed that neighbouring Telangana State has 28,000 PD accounts, which have over `12,000 crore in them. “In Gujarat, there are 481 accounts with `410 crore. If we appropriate the number to match our accounts, it means there will be `41,000 crore in 48,000 accounts. Does it mean there are irregularities there also?” he questioned.
He also sought white papers on Essar Oil and Rafale deals. “The Prime Minister’s Office or the Defence Ministry or the Department of Economic Affairs or the Foreign Investment Promotion Board should release white papers on both the deals and state that there were no money laundering or tax evasion in them,” he said.
GVL poses seven questions
Following Kutumba Rao’s press conference, BJP MP Narasimha Rao spoke to reporters in Vijayawada. He fumed at Kutumba Rao for ‘shamelessly’ giving irrelevant explanations. He demanded that the TDP release a white paper on the transactions of the PD accounts. “Instead of making personal allegations, the TDP should make the details of the accounts public,” he said.
The MP later asked seven questions, including why the TDP opened 58,000 PD accounts, why it borrowed loans without using funds in the accounts, and others. “It is not just PD account scam, there is also another scam as the TDP government is paying J1,500 crore interest on loans it borrowed while it has funds lying unused in PD accounts,” he alleged. Kutumba Rao replied that he was prepared to ‘educate’ Narasimha Rao.