The dramatic developments involving cash-for-vote scandal started unfolding on Monday after the TV channels started playing the purported telephonic conversation between Andhra Pradesh Chief Minsiter Chandrababu Naidu and TDP MlA Stephenson since Sunday evening. Naidu is heard saying that “our people have briefed me. I am with you. Don’t bother”.
Amid the growing political tensions with far reaching political and constitutional implications both Naidu and Telengana Chief Minsiter K Chandrasekhar Rao rushed to Governor Sl Narasimhan. While Chandrababu Naidu lodged a complaint with the Governor that his phone was being hacked by the Telangana Government, KCR briefed the Governor about the evidence unearthed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau linking Naidu to the cash-for-vote scam.
In view of the gravity of the matter, Governor Narasimhan was likely to rush to New Delhi to submit a report to the President, the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister.
The episode was now threatening to snowball into a big controversy as the Telugu Desam Party was linking it to the status of Hyderabad as a joint capital.
“When in a joint capital, the phone of a Chief Minister was being tapped, you can imagine the harassment the ordinary Seema Andhra people will face if Hyderabad is at the hands of the Telangana Government,” said Narendra, a senior TDP leader. Fearing this kind of situation the TDP was demanding that Hyderabad should be declared a Union Territory and directly under the Governor’s rule for 10 years, he said.
For Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, which were bifurcated exactly a year ago, Hyderabad has to serve as a joint capital till 2024.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti on the other hand said that it was all a conspiracy by the TDP to destabilise Telangana.
“TDP leaders who were caught red handed while trying to buy an MlA are now throwing mud at the Telangana Chief Minister. Chandrababu Naidu cannot escape from the cash for vote case because whether a Chief Minister or a common man, everybody is equal in the eyes of the law,” said K Taraka Rama Rao, Telangana Minister for IT. He demanded the TDP to produce evidence that Naidu’s phone was tapped.
Telangana’s representative in New Delhi S Venugopla Chary alleged that the TDP was now going to write to the Union Government to impose Governor’s rule over Hyderabad.
He denied that any phone was tapped. “They should understand that difference between the tapping of a phone and recording a phone conversation by the person who received the call or by an investigating agency”, he said.
Denying that the Telangana Government had anything to do with the matter, he said that the Anti Corruption Bureau was investigating the case of bribing an MlA and the law will take its own course.
Meanwhile TDP MlA A Revanth Reddy spent the third day in the ACB custody replying to various questions on the role of AP Chief Minister in the case.
Sources said that in view of the emergence of the audio tape, the ACB team wanted to know from Revanth Reddy, who was behind the offer of a bribe to the nominated MlA. They also pointed out at the video recording of his meeting with Stephenson in which he referred to “Boss” ‘Our leader” and “Babu Garu” 13 times. It is all being seen as a reference to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister.
When asked about the source of Rs50 lakh seized at the time of Revanth Reddy’s arrest, the TDP MlA said the money had nothing to do with him. He also avoided the question about the remaining Rs4.5 crore, which he had promised to the MlA after he voted in favour of TDP candidate in legislative council elections.
Tuesday will be the last day of Revanth Reddy’s custody of ACB after which his lawyers will again move his bail petition.
It may be recalled that Revanth Reddy and his two aides Sebastian Harry and Uday Sinha were arrested by the ACB on May 31 from the residence of a friend of the nominated MlA when he was handing over cash of Rs50 lakh to him. The ACB had laid a trap for Revanth Rdddy after receiving the complaint from Stephenson that the TDP was offering him bribe for his vote.