TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday predicted that the YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh would arrest him tomorrow or the day after or even resort to a physical attack on him.
The former chief minister made this comment a day after the APCID decided to launch investigations against him in view of the notice issued to him by the Income Tax Department over Rs 118 crore which the Central agency said was part of the kickbacks received by him from infrastructure companies through bogus sub-contractors.
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This is the first time Naidu spoke on the issue after reports about IT notices surfaced in the media.
The Opposition leader was interacting with teachers, lawyers and intellectuals at a programme in Raidurgam in Anantapur district. “They may arrest me tomorrow or the day after. They may even attack me. They are trying to put the wrong they had committed on me. I have lived without a single mark (on his character) for the past 45 years. Nobody even filed a case on me or found any evidence against me,” said Naidu. He went on to remind his audience that “YS Rajasekhara Reddy filed 26 inquiries against me but could do nothing,” said the TDP chief.
He reassured his supporters saying “No matter how many accusations they field, it is righteousness which that prevails.”
Though the Income Tax Department is under the Central government, the AP CID is also trying to find connections, if any, to the skill development and IT scams which are already under investigation. The IT notices have come as a boon to the YSRCP which has now launched a vitriolic attack on the former chief minister accusing him of indulging in massive corruption on the pretext of developing a greenfield capital Amaravati.
YSRCP’s Rajya Sabha MP Vijayasai Reddy took to the microblogging site “X” and said that Naidu is aware that sins committed by him in the past were catching up with him. He also mentioned media baron Ramoji Rao in the same post adding that he, who had supported Naidu too, should be punished.
Meanwhile, a team of TDP leaders submitted a memorandum to the director general of police complaining about the police inaction against YSRCP activists who were trying to disrupt the padayatra of Nara Lokesh.
