HYDERABAD: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) cadres are on the edge after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Hyderabad-based businessman and ‘South Group frontman’ Arun Ramachandra Pillai on Tuesday in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy scam.
The ED alleged that Arun Pillai managed to get excise tenders on behalf of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter and BRS MLC K Kavitha under the revamped Delhi liquor policy which has been cancelled after the scam broke out last year.
The arrest of Pillai on charges of money laundering has sent shock waves as he was described by the ED as Kavitha’s frontman. The arrest of Pillai by the ED and Buchi Babu by the CBI (who got conditional bail) is making BRS cadres uneasy as to what would happen next.
On her part, Kavitha has denied her role in the scam and alleged that it was a political witch-hunt. She said that BJP’s real target was her father and this was the way it chose to get at him.
Meanwhile, Kavitha under the banner of Telangana Jagruthi, will hold a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on March 10, demanding that the Centre introduce women’s reservation bill.
The protest by Kavitha at Jantar Mantar in Delhi will have the participation of women’s organisations and political parties.The Enforcement Directorate has already quizzed Arun Pillai around 13 times and reported to the court that he was not cooperating with officials in their investigation. The party cadre are wondering if the ED will question Kavitha next.
The CBI recorded the statement of Kavitha in December last year as a witness in the scam under Section 160 of the CrPC.The Enforcement Directorate is expected to grill both Arun Pillai and Buchi Babu together and only then they might come to a conclusion on whether to call Kavitha or not for questioning.
Earlier, the ED officials had alleged that Kavitha had destroyed evidence in mobile phones and said that she had taken part in several meetings with liquor businessmen in Delhi as well as in Hyderabad.