TDP demands dismissal of seven tainted ministers from cabinet

"On what basis does Secondary Education Minister K Parthasarathy continue in his post, when he was sentenced to two months imprisonment by a special economic offences court in a FERA violation case," TDP politburo member Kadiyam Srihari and Deputy Leader in the assembly, M Narasimhulu said.

"Neither the chief minister nor the Congress seem to have political or moral values. Chief Minister Kiran Kumar has not displayed the guts to remove tainted ministers from his cabinet," the leaders said at a press conference.

They asked why law minister Erasu Pratap Reddy who has been facing allegations of involvement in the cash-for-bail scandal in mining mafia kingpin Gali Janardhana Reddy's case has not stepped down. "He too should step down immediately," the TDP leaders demanded.

They said that five other ministers including Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Sabita Indra Reddy, J Geeta Reddy, Kanna Lakshminarayana and Dharmana Prasada Rao should also be made to quit or removed, as they were under CBI scanner for issuing 26 controversial government orders in the alleged quid pro quo deals under the then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

"We shall petition the governor seeking dismissal of seven ministers, including Parthasarathy, who must also be disqualified from contesting elections for six years since he did not disclose pending case details in his election affidavits in 2004 and 2009," TDP leaders said.

They also found fault with the chief minister for agreeing to dip into government coffers to bear legal expenses of five ministers facing criminal charges in a Supreme Court case. "This is a brazenly shameless act by the chief Minister," they said.