CBI director’s affidavit has vindicated our stand: YSRCP

Hyderabad, April 26 : The YSR Congress Party reiterated on Friday that the affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court by the CBI Director Ranjit Sinha on the investigation agency’s status report on the coal allocation scam has proved once again that the Congress-led UPA has been dictating terms to the CBI and using it as a tool to suit its political gains.

Addressing a media conference at the party headquarters here, YSRCP Political Affairs Committee coordinator Konatala Ramakrishna said the CBI Director’s affidavit has vindicated the party stand that Congress bigwigs have been directing the investigation of the party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s case in order to deny bail to him.

“From the very beginning of the case, we have been arguing that the case against Sri Jagan Mohan Reddy is a politically motivated one. Ranjit Sinha’s affidavit that the status report on the coal scam has been vetted by the Law Minister Ashwini Kumar and the joint secretaries of the PMO and the Coal Ministry has vindicated our stand beyond any doubt,” he asserted, adding all the charge sheets filed so far in the case have been vetted and dictated by the officials owing allegiances to the Congress party.

As per the business rules, CBI need not consult any official outside its purview on the course of investigation of cases except for on the administrative matters. “But the development has proved that the CBI has lacked in autonomy in the investigation of the cases and also fully justified the long pending demand for providing statutory powers to it to run independently without any political interference,” he said.

Ramakrishna said while the Government has so far not declared whether or not the 26 GOs were correct, the act of bringing up Jagan Mohan Reddy’s name to the first accused from being 50th accused in the case has proved that the Congress has been writing screenplay to the CBI’s action. The CBI has also backtracked on its promise of filing a single charge sheet in the case, he said, adding it was all directed by Delhi.

“The CBI raids on DMK leader Stalin soon after the party’s withdrawal of support to the UPA and the calling off the raids at the instance of the PM and Finance Minister P Chidambaram had also vindicated our stand that the case against Jagan Mohan Reddy is a politically motivated one and stands as victimization as in case of Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav,” he pointed out.

Ramakrishna faulted the Government for not giving priority in the appointment of Telugu IAS officers to the post of Chief Secretary even though they are eligible as per their seniority.

“All these days you are talking of importance being given to Telugu language. But in the appointment of top bureaucratic posts, you are opting for non-Telugus. What happened to the Telugu pride?” he asked Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy. INN