The Hindu : Front Page : Naidu-YSR spat over their properties

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Saturday, Mar 29, 2008
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Naidu-YSR spat over their properties

Special Correspondent

TDP president challenges Chief Minister to order probe by sitting judge

HYDERABAD: Leader of the Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu challenged Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy in the Assembly on Friday to order an inquiry by a sitting judge into the properties and assets owned by both of them, if he doubted that he (Mr Naidu) owned an assigned land.

The Chief Minister crossed swords with Mr Naidu by saying that he, indeed, owned and enjoyed assigned land for a long time before selling it away when his Government took a policy decision to take over all assigned lands.

Intervening during a debate on the Appropriation Bill, Mr Naidu launched a tirade against the Chief Minister for owning large chunk of assigned land at Idupalapaya and “shamelessly” proclaiming that he did not know it was assigned land. He said Dr Reddy’s family was constructing a commercial complex on the 2,000 sq yds at Banjara Hills.

The Chief Minister retorted that he had surrendered the Idupalapaya land as soon as he came to know that it was assigned, but Mr Naidu “sold away” his lands after “smelling” the Government decision.

He said he did not commit any mistake if he raised a commercial complex on the Banjara Hills site.

Dr Reddy said that the Telugu Desam Government headed by Mr Naidu had denied him the benefit of having his Banjara Hills land regularised while allowing the same to others. The High Court, however, directed that it could be regularised on payment of Rs 1,000 per sq yard. The TD Government approached the Supreme Court to get stay. The site was finally regularised after he came to power.

In sharp contrast, the Chief Minister said, he had the magnanimity to regularise the land owned by Mr Naidu’s concern Heritage Foods at Kondapur. Mr Naidu justified the TD Government’s action in not regularising the Banjara Hills site on the ground that he did belong to any weaker section to deserve the benefit at a low rate.

Second site

Intervening at this stage, Finance Minister K. Rosaiah referred to Mr Naidu acquiring a site in Venkateswara Housing Society at Jubilee Hills by declaring that he did not own any other site. Mr Naidu replied that he had purchased a second site at Jubilee Hills from a third party on which his present residence was constructed.

Mr Naidu challenged that a probe by a sitting judge could be ordered on the properties and assets owned by them, now that these issues were raised.

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