Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao “totally” denied tapping of phone of his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu and added that the latter was neck deep in trouble in the cash-for-vote scam.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the Cabinet late on Wednesday night, Mr. Rao said the Telangana government acted well within its limits in checking the attempted bribery of nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson by Telugu Desam to win elections to the Legislative Council from Assembly constituency. Where was the need for Mr. Naidu to buy MLAs unless he eyed victory though the TDP was on the losing side with a clear one vote short a day before elections.
Mr. Rao also said the Congress had no inkling of Mr. Naidu contacting two of its MLAs in trying to win them over until he alerted the party. It was not only the arrested MLA A. Revanth Reddy but some other groups within TDP that plotted to win MLAs but all of them withdrew after Reddy was nabbed.
On Mr. Naidu’s visit to New Delhi on Wednesday to complain to Prime Minister and other powers about phone tapping, Mr. Rao said he did not think the Centre will act on it because plenty of information relating to the misdeeds of Mr. Naidu and his “henchmen” was retrieved by call data over phones deposited in court. The name of Mr. Naidu figured in them.
Asked if anyone from New Delhi had called him to enquire into the ongoing developments, Mr. Rao said there was none as Mr. Naidu’s role was blatantly clear. He was trapped in the muddle. Mr. Rao described as intolerable the arrogance of Mr. Naidu that his arrest would mark the last day of Telangana government. Law will take its own course, he warned.
Reacting to the claim of Mr. Naidu that 120 telephones of TDP leaders were tapped till the day of elections, Mr. Rao asked why complaints were not lodged immediately when it came to notice. The Telangana government will take a decision on the whole episode after getting a report from the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
