Naidu to meet Mukherjee on tainted ministers

Leaders of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to demand that tainted ministers in Andhra Pradesh be sacked, party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu said Wednesday.

Naidu told reporters that his party had sought an appointment with the president to submit a memorandum. The delegation led by Naidu is likely to call on the president on May 22 or 23 in New Delhi.

Naidu had called on Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan Monday to demand sacking of tainted ministers. He said the governor, despite being the constitutional head, failed to take any action.

The main opposition party wants the sacking of Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy and Roads and Buildings Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, who were named as accused in YSR Congress party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy's illegal assets case.

It is also seeking similar action against three other ministers who were issued notice by the Supreme Court in the same case.

The former chief minister also announced that his party would stage state-wide protests on the issue.

He alleged that Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy was making all efforts to shield the corrupt ministers.

He said both Congress and YSR Congress party were involved in corruption and vowed to continue the fight till the tainted ministers are dropped from the cabinet.

Naidu also underlined the need for financial, electoral, political, legal and administrative reforms to tackle corruption. He called for a nation-wide debate on the reforms.