Congress top leadership is reportedly of the view that it would be better to ask the tainted ministers to quit their posts so that the party’s image would be saved. It is also being felt that by allowing the ministers to face the law if they had committed any irregularity, the party would project itself a clean image, apart from projecting the guilt of Jagan.
It is learnt that the CBI would be filing another charge-sheet on Monday in which the name of IT minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah who was minister for major irrigation in Rajasekhara Reddy’s cabinet would be mentioned.
It may be mentioned that six ministers got tainted in the Jagan case. Of them Mopidevi Venkata Ramana was already sent to jail. Minister Dharmana was named accused and he had submitted his resignation. However the Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy chose to reject the resignation, so as to save the image of the party. Now after Sabita Indra Reddy was also named Congress has really fallen in a very tight situation. Three more ministers Geeta Reddy, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Kanna Lakshmi Narayana were served notices by the supreme court, for issuing controversial GOs that favoured Jagan.
Top leadership of Congress is of the view that if Sabita is also condoned like Dharmana, it would cause a serious damage to the image of the party. It is in this backdrop that the High Command reportedly decided that the party should strictly abide by the law to save itself.
Meanwhile, the petition of minister Dharmana Prasada Rao arguing that the central government’s permission was necessary to prosecute him, a public servant, under the anti-corruption act, is before the high court. It is learnt that judgment on the petition is likely on April 24. It may be recalled that Dharmana received a flak in the CBI court in the same case. If he faces the same result in the high court also, he may be arrested say sources.
With regard to the case against Sabita Indra Reddy, the Congress High Command is likely to take a decision in a day or two. The party leadership is thinking of examining the charge-sheet against her and consider the severity of the charges. The High Command has already asked the state leadership to send a copy of the charge-sheet as soon as it received it. It is learnt that the AICC general secretary and state party affairs in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad had talked to the Chief Minister about it.
CBI has already filed five charge-sheets in Jagan case. The agency is likely to file two more in India Cements and Penna Cements aspects. India Cements was given water allocation from Krishna and Kagna rivers in violation of rules. The company was also given land in Kadapa district. CBI’s charge is that in return to the favour, India Cement had invested Rs, 15 crore in Raghuram Cements of Jagan.
