HYDERABAD: The footage was not grainy, it was clear, with multiple angles as Telangana TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy sat down for a chat with TRS-nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson in the afternoon of May 31, hours before the MLC election in Hyderabad. Audiences in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana sat rivetted in front of their TV sets as the sordid drama unfolded of an elected MLA offering wads of currency totalling `50 lakhs to another MLA for voting for the Telugu Desam Party. The Telugu Desam MLA was heard offering a deal of a whopping `5 crore for voting for the other party. The Telangana Anti Corruption Bureau which was tipped off by Stephenson, followed the drama, and at a key moment swooped down on Revanth and his two aides and took them into custody triggering a row that is likely to haunt Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu for a long time.
The TRS government in Telangana seems to be determined to nail Naidu in the case. Proving this, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao made it clear that the Andhra CM was neck-deep in the cash-for-vote scam.
More evidence emerged, as on June 7, one TV channel aired the purported conversation between Stephenson and a voice identified as that of N Chandrababu Naidu’s. “None can save Naidu. He was caught red-handed. I don’t think even Prime Minister Narendra Modi will ever support Naidu, who resorted to treachery—worst-ever corruption—by trying to buy our MLA for `5 crore,” said K Chandrasekhar Rao. The Chief Minister further said law would take its own course in the case and recalled, “even Prime Ministers had to face the music for encouraging corrupt practices earlier.”
Citing the case of former BJP president Bangaru Lakshman, he said, “The whole world knows what happened to him after he was caught in a sting operation.”
Interestingly, Rao made these comments minutes after Naidu had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Wednesday and complained about the alleged tapping of phones of Andhra Pradesh ministers by the Telangana government. On the other hand, Naidu challenged the TRS government to arrest him in the cash-for-vote case. “The day they arrest me will be the last day for them (TRS government),” he thundered.
The entire episode indicates that Telangana police might have tapped Naidu’s phones much before catching TDP MLA Revanth Reddy red-handed. Setting the cat among pigeons, the Telangana Home Minister N Narasimha Reddy said, “Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) has records of telephonic conversation between Naidu and MLA Stephenson. Revanth dared to lure the nominated MLA only because of Naidu’s support. Law will take its own course in this case.”
He further added that the ACB officials had enough evidence to also prove Naidu had spoken to some TRS MLAs too over the phone to persuade them to vote for the TDP in the MLC polls.
The Telugu Desam MLAs and activists immediately picked up the bait and posed the question of propriety of tapping the phone of a neighbouring state’s Chief Minister. The Telangana police, citing the cash-for-votes scandal involving JMM leader Shibu Soren, say there is enough evidence to name Naidu.
Highly placed sources in the Telangana ACB disclosed to The Sunday Standard that the investigation in the case is aimed at finding out the role of Naidu in the scam.
“The accused, apart from paying `50 lakh, promised another `4.50 crore. The accused might have concealed the amount and it needs to be traced. We are trying to trace the source of the huge money,” said the ACB officials.
Indicating possible role of Naidu in the scam, the ACB officials said they had retrieved the call data of the accused, which revealed the phone calls between them and other ‘conspirators’.
Telangana ACB sent the video and audio tapes in connection with the cash-for-vote scam to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for scientific examination.
“I’m not afraid of anybody. If he (Telangana Home Minister) has the guts, let him file cases against his own chief minister (Rao) who bought five MLAs of the TDP. Rao even inducted some TDP MLAs into his Cabinet,” fumed Naidu, adding, “I’m not afraid of any case. I have been in politics for 35 years. I have been honest and sincere. TDP is known for value-based politics.”
Jagan jumps into fray
YSR Congress (YSRC) chief and Leader of Opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly YS Jagan Mohan Reddy seems to have found a wonderful opportunity in the ‘cash-for-vote’ scam to corner his bete noire and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Ever since the scandal surfaced, Reddy has been busy petitioning key functionaries in the central government to nail Naidu in the scam. The YSRC chief undertook a three-day tour to Delhi recently and knocked on the doors of all key ministers in Modi’s Cabinet, besides calling on President Pranab
Mukherjee. The YSRC chief said he had requested Rajnath to ensure that Naidu be made A-I in the scam. “I have requested the Union Home Minister to ensure that Naidu’s name is included in the cash-for-vote scam as he tried to purchase TRS MLAs with ill-gotten money,” he said, adding that the audio and video tapes had clearly showed that Naidu was neck-deep in the scam.
Counteroffensive in Delhi by Naidu Stung by the way his
phones were allegedly tapped by the Telangana government during the cash-for-vote scam, in which his party MLA A Revanth Reddy was caught red-handed, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has launched a counteroffensive against the Telangana government by trying to highlight the phone tapping issue. Naidu upped the ante in the national capital by holding a series of meetings with President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu and BJP president Amit Shah over the issue. While urging the Centre to order a high-level probe into phone tapping, he demanded invocation of Section 8 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, which empowers the Governor to handle law and order in Hyderabad. However, Telangana Chief Minister Rao denied allegations of phone tapping.
Time Out
May 31: Telangana ACB arrests TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy for trying to bribe the nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson to vote for TDP nominee in the Telangana Legislative Council election.
June 1: Hyderabad city court sends Revanth and his aides Sebastian Harry and Uday Simha to judicial custody for 14 days.
June 5: The Special Court for ACB cases grants the ACB four-day custody of Revanth.
June 7: TRS-owned T News channel airs conversation purportedly of Naidu assuring Stephenson of all support, and promising to honour all commitments.
June 7: Communication Advisor to AP Government Parakala Prabhakar rubbished the content of the audio tapes and claimed that the voice in the audio tapes was not that of Naidu.
June 9: ACB sleuths searched the houses of Revanth Reddy.
June 11: Naidu meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demands a probe into the phone tapping incident. carried out by the TRS government.
June 11: Minutes after Naidu’s meet with PM,
Telangana CM Rao asserted AP CM is in neck-deep in cash-for-vote scam and none can save him.
June 12: Naidu-Stephenson conversation audio tape sent to forensic lab for testing.