Jagan govt attacking Franklin Templeton: TDP

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) spokesperson K Pattabhiram on Friday alleged that YS Jaganmohan Reddy government is attacking Franklin Templeton, which is a Fortune 500 company.

He quoted YSRCP MP Midhun Reddy's speech in the Rajya Sabha yesterday where he claimed that the then TDP government had allocated 40 acres of land worth Rs 1000 crores to Franklin Templeton at a throw-away price of Rs 30 crores only.

Responding to that, TDP spokesperson K Pattabhiram said that YSRCP chief and present Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy has invested Rs 9 crores in Franklin Templeton's equity shares. Pattabhi also has shown the election affidavit as proof for that.

He also accused the YSRCP of trying to shunt out prestigious companies like Franklin Templeton, HCL etc out of Visakhapatnam.

Pattabhiram further stated that the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu worked hard to bring Franklin Templeton to the state and allocated land to them only for the benefit of the state and create employment for the youth residing in the state.

Pattabhiram further accused the YSRCP government of collecting fake tax by terming it 'J Tax' (Jagan tax), and alleged that the companies such as Kia Motors and Franklin Templeton which denied to pay such illegal commissions are being weed out.

When enquired about reports of Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate about raids on various TDP leaders, Pattabhiram stated that no TDP leader or any other officer while under the TDP regime practised corruption .