Latest fallout from Jagan's case: Two ministers resign

Two senior members of the Kiran Kumar Reddy's Cabinet resigned on Monday after the Congress high command sent clear signals that they cannot continue in office after having been charge sheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

However, the decision came very late to claim any moral high ground by the party leadership as one of the ministers, Dharmana Prasada Rao, was named by the CBI in a charge sheet almost nine months ago in August 2012. Home minister Sabita Reddy, the other one, was named in a latest charge sheet filed last month.

Both the ministers, however, claimed that they gave their resignation letters to the chief minister as and when their names figured in the respective charge sheets. The reports of their 'formal quitting' first came when both of them closeted with the chief minister at his private residence in a late night meeting yesterday.

Their alleged criminal involvement relates to the high-profile quid pro quo investments case covering a bundle of government decisions with Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy being the accused No.1. Jagan has been in a local jail for the past one year as multiple attempts by him at securing a bail were rejected at all levels, including by the Supreme Court.

The government's move was also marred by the utter lack of consistency in approach towards ministers facing similar charges. Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao, the first minister to fall in the same case in May last year, was made to resign the day he was arrested by the CBI. A few others, including businessmen and officials, were also arrested in this case.

However, when Dharmana offered to quit in August last year, the chief minister not only refused to accept the resignation but also refused permission to file charges against the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Not convinced by this, Governor ESL Narasimhan returned a related file to the government. Meanwhile, one more minister K Parthasarathi - not connected with the present case but convicted by a lower court in a foreign exchange rules violation case - is continuing in the state cabinet.

Political observers attribute the reversal of the party stand on these two ministers more to a larger question raised by Jagan's counsel in the Supreme Court as to how his client be denied bail for almost a year on the grounds that he may influence the investigation but the ministers, who are also accused in the same case, were allowed to continue in office. The YSR Congress has also been citing this dichotomy as a clear case of political vendetta against its leader on every platform.

While taking note of the submissions made by the CBI early this month, the Supreme Court had refused to grant bail to Jagan besides reversing the lower court's decision to grant bail to Vijay Sai Reddy, the second accused in the case. However, the court said the accused, including Jagan, were free to move lower courts for bail after 4-5 months as sought by the CBI to complete the ongoing investigation.

It became clear to the ruling party that it cannot entirely be insulated from the Jagan case fallout after the Supreme Court in September last year issued notices to five ministers and nearly a dozen IAS officers acting on a public interest litigation (PIL). The PIL sought investigation against all those involved in issuing the 26 government orders, which according to the CBI, were made to benefit Jagan in a quid pro quo arrangement with private companies.

Opposition Telugu Desam Party leader and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had also raised the political pitch for removal of all the 'tainted ministers' since last week culminating with meeting President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday demanding the same.

Interestingly, the Congress appears to have succeeded in keeping the tempers within the government and the party cool in the present development unlike in August last year when a section of leaders, including the five ministers who received Supreme Court notices in the case, came together to fight any possible removal.