Chandrababu asks PM to respond to SC strictures

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu Thursday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to respond to the Supreme Court passing strictures against the government for tinkering with the CBI report on coal blocks allocation.

Naidu told reporters here that the prime minister should break his silence and act in all the corruption cases as he was supposed to lead and guide the country.

The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister said the Supreme Court observations on the prime minister and coal and law ministers reflected on how the UPA government's inefficiency and inaction were leading to one corruption scandal after the other.

"The corrupt fear only the courts as the governments which are expected to act against them are either silent or shielding them," Naidu said.

He alleged that the governments both at the centre and in states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka failed to act against corruption.

He said it was the courts which acted in the illegal assets case involving Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and in illegal mining involving former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy and the other corruption charges against former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

Naidu alleged that the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh was shielding the ministers named as accused in the chargesheets filed in corruption cases against Jaganmohan Reddy.

"The tainted ministers are continuing in the cabinet," he said.

Referring to Karnataka poll results, Naidu said the Congress came to power because people had no other alternative.

The TDP chief said people of Karnataka taught a lesson to Janardhana Reddy and Yeddyurappa, who floated parties for their selfish interests.

He also took strong exception to the allegation by YSR Congress party that his recent visit to Delhi was to stop Jaganmohan Reddy from getting bail.

"When the Supreme Court is not sparing the prime minister, law and coal ministers, this allegation is ridiculous. Nobody can influence the Supreme Court," he said.