Naidu should be made accused if there is evidence: Rao

Image
Press Trust of India Hyderabad
Last Updated : Jun 02 2015 | 8:07 PM IST
Telangana minister K T Rama Rao today said if there was evidence against the TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in the cash-for-vote case involving party's Telangana MLA Revanth Reddy, then Naidu too should be made an accused.
"The law has to take its own course. Chandrababu Naidu or KCR (Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) or anybody is not above the law. If there is enough evidence and if there is a prima facie case, there is no reason why Chandrababu Naidu should not be arraigned," Rao, Telangana Panchayat Raj and Information Technology minister, said here.
Replying to the question if his party Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was going to demand making Naidu an accused, Rao said: "Naidu, or for that matter anybody is not above the law in this country. Law of the land has to be implemented."
On Sunday, Revanth Reddy was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau while allegedly trying to bribe MLA Elvis Stephenson to vote for TDP nominee in yesterday's Telangana Legislative Council polls.
"Naidu, who often preaches morality in politics, should now come forward and answer (on Reddy's statement that he was acting at the former's behest)," Rao said.
"It's been 48 hours and he (Naidu) has still not opened his mouth. He should disown his MLA completely or suspend him from the party and come forward and say that this man was not acting at his behest."
Asked if a special session of the Assembly will be called to move a resolution seeking the TDP MLA's suspension, Rao said, "We have a precedence in the country... The then Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had taken a stand and we have some court judgements... All we have to do is follow them."
"They (ACB) have to dig deeper and hopefully it will come out who were behind this, who was the mastermind," Rao said.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jun 02 2015 | 8:07 PM IST

Next Story