Naidu talks of sleaze cash

Hyderabad, April 14: The Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, is in for trouble and big-time embarrassment with the state election authorities taking a serious note of his alleged instructions to party leaders to pump in money for the elections.

The Chief Electoral Officer, Dr I.V. Subba Rao, told mediapersons on Tuesday that he was verifying audio tapes containing the alleged discussions Mr Naidu held with his party leaders thro-ugh teleconference when he made the remarks.

“We will take necessary action, including issuing notices to TD chief, after verifying the tapes,” the CEO said. Mr Naidu is reportedly heard telling leaders to “spend money to match the Congress might.”

The tapes created a stir as they also contained adverse remarks against his alliance partners, the Left and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti.

The Congress forwarded the audio tapes to the electronic media in which Mr Naidu asked his party leaders to see that “TD candidates win in any way.”

In another tape, Mr Naidu expresses anger with the senior leader, Mr Kadiam Srihari, for “dragging” him into the Telangana issue.

The tapes were submitted to the CEO by Mr Leo Augustine of the Indian Justice Party who also released them to the media. He alleged that Mr Naidu had instructed party leaders to ensure that money reached the booth committees should be sent through sealed covers.

Mr Augustine said he did not record the tapes nor did he tap telephones during the teleconference. He said he was given the tape by another person whom he refused to identify.

Mr Augustine demanded that the EC declare Mr Naidu ineligible to contest elections besides registering a criminal case against him.

The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, demanded that the Election Commission take action on Mr Naidu. “He has been exposed thoroughly by these tapes. Talking loudly in public, he has instructed his men to spend left and right to win. He is demeaning the democratic values,” Dr Reddy said.

The Congress submitted a memorandum to the EC officials in the state and decided to take it up with the Central Election Commission at New Delhi.

Mr Naidu denied the allegations and said the tapes are “fabricated.” “First let the Congress leaders tell from where they got the tapes. Who were involved in the phone-tapping,” the Telugu Desam president
asked.

He also suggested that his voice could have been mimicked. A Praja Rajyam delegation led by the party leader, Mr P. Upendra, complained to the Chief Electoral Officer that the Telugu Desam leaders or their
sympathisers were opening bank accounts in the name of poor voters to make them believe that the party’s main election incentive of cash transfer scheme had come into force.
He also alleged that the Congress was transporting money and liquor in 108 ambulances.

The Telugu Desam on the other hand complained to the Election Commission that the Congress activists were transporting money and liquor in vehicles belonging to the Saakshi Telugu newspaper owned by the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s son, Mr Jaganmohan Reddy.