GUNTUR: The State government has initiated an inquiry into the claim of YSR Congress Tadikonda MLA Vundavalli Sridevi that she is a Dalit and issued notices to her to submit documentary evidence in support of her claim, following a complaint by an NGO questioning her caste status. Guntur Joint Collector AS Dinesh Kumar has sent a notice to the legislator, asking her to appear before him with documentary evidence in support of her claim, by 3 pm on November 26.
It may be noted here that President Ramnath Kovind had asked the EC to enquire into the allegations by AS Santosh, working president of Legal Rights Protection Forum, against Sridevi. The forum, in the petition to the President, alleged that the MLA had claimed to be a Christian and, thus, was not eligible to be an MLA from the SC reserved segment. It further said that she had submitted false certificates in her election affidavit.
MLA Sridevi acknowledges receipt of notice
Following this, the Rashtrapati Bhavan referred the complaint to then chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh, asking the official to take appropriate action. Then, the State chief electoral officer ordered an inquiry to verify the caste of the MLA. Accordingly, the Guntur joint collector was asked to conduct a probe and submit a report. Meanwhile, Sridevi acknowledged the receipt of the notice from the joint collector.