Reject Cabinet decision on Dharmana's prosecution: TDP to Guv

A delegation of TDP legislators, led by their Deputy Leader in Assembly P Ashoka Gajapati Raju, met the Governor E S L Narasimhan in Raj Bhavan here this afternoon and found fault with the Cabinet decision in support of the "tainted" minister.

"You should reject the Cabinet decision and accord sanction for the prosecution of Dharmana as his role in the scandal has been established by the CBI," the TDP delegation said.

Roads and Buildings Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, tendered resignation from the minister's post on "moral grounds" on August 14, a day after the CBI named him as accused number five in the Vanpic scandal.

Since then he has been staying away from official duties though Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy announced he was not accepting the resignation.

Dharmana, however, has been drawing salary and perks as a minister and staying in the official bungalow in the Ministers' quarters, sources in the General Administration Department said.

"I am continuing only as an MLA," Dharmana has been repeatedly claiming.

In its meeting on November 23, the state Cabinet adopted a resolution rejecting CBI's plea for Dharmana's prosecution.

Health Minister D L Ravindra Reddy strongly opposed the resolution right in the Cabinet meeting while other senior Congress leaders like Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao took exception to the Chief Minister's decision on Dharmana.

They contended that the state government should have granted permission to the CBI for the minister's prosecution when another (former) minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana has been arrested and lodged in Chanchalguda jail here along with other key accused like Nimmagadda Prasad in the same case.