TRS dares Andhra CM, son to face probe in data theft case

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Working President K.T. Rama Rao on Monday asked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his son and IT Minister Nara Lokesh to face the probe in data theft case, instead of making baseless allegations against Telangana government.

Rama Rao said they were caught red-handed while providing Andhra Pradesh citizens' data to a private company engaged by Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

"Let Naidu and Lokesh accept that there has been a data theft. Let them stand up for scrutiny. If there has been a data theft, let them face the music," he told reporters.

KTR, as the TRS leader is popularly known, hit back after Lokesh alleged that Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were trying to help YSR Congress party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy by stealing information of TDP party members.

Lokesh made the allegations after police in Hyderabad raided office of IT Grids, a company which provides IT services to TDP, and booked case against it.

KTR, who is son of Chandrashekhar Rao, defended the action against the company saying the police registered a case on a complaint by whistleblower Lokeshwar Reddy, a resident of Andhra Pradesh living in Hyderabad.

He said since the company was also located in Hyderabad, the police took up the investigations into violation of sections 66 and 72 of the Information Technology Act.

The TRS leader took exception to Andhra Pradesh police interfering in the investigations by raiding the complainant's house and abusing him. He remarked that Naidu and Lokesh should not be scared if they had done no wrong.

"Naidu and his government should be ashamed of sharing personal data of Andhra Pradesh citizens with a private company so that TDP can get political benefit. People of Andhra Pradesh should decide whether the chief minister has the moral right to continue in office," KTR said.

On TDP allegations, he said Naidu afraid of losing elections was using cheap tricks to get sympathy of people.

"In his last-ditch effort, he is trying to evoke emotions and passions among people but he will not succeed," the TRS leader said.

--IANS

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