Naidu ready for judicial probe into AgriGold

YSRCP stages noisy protest over refusal of adjournment motion by Speaker

​Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday expressed his readiness to order a judicial probe into AgriGold scam if the opposition comes out with evidence that any of his Cabinet colleagues benefited from it.

He was reacting to an allegation made by Leader of Opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy that Agriculture Minister Prathipati Pulla Rao struck it rich in the case by purchasing prime lands owned by the company in question in the name of his wife for a song misusing his power. Naidu asserted that his government had no intention to shield anyone in the scam regardless of the position he or she holds.

Earlier, opposition members sought to move an adjournment motion seeking the Chair to devote the session to a thorough debate on the AgriGold scam setting aside the whole agenda listed for the day. But Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao disallowed the motion, leading to noisy protests in the Well, trading of charges between the treasury and the opposition benches. The YSRC members, armed with placards, stormed into the well resenting the Speaker’s rejection of the adjournment motion. The din prevailed in the House for an hour as both sides stuck to their guns.

Stung by the charge, Pulla Rao expressed his readiness to prove his innocence on any forum and quit politics if he was proven guilty. He dared Jaganmohan Reddy to do so if he failed to prove his allegations. The offer from the treasury benches for a House committee to probe the alleged culpability of the Agriculture Minister did not go well with the opposition members.

The YSRC members asserted that they only want judicial probe as they had no faith in the House Committee.
Giving a statement on the progress of the AgriGold case, Naidu listed a slew of measures initiated by his government to do justice to the victims of the company. Jaganmohan Reddy, however, maintained that Pulla Rao had allegedly misused his power in transferring the assets in possession of the AgriGold to his wife for a throwaway price through “coercion”.

Naidu requested the Chair to allow the House to continue the debate on the AgriGold issue on Friday also since it could not be completed due to the opposition members staging a walkout. Meanwhile, Jaganmohan Reddy, in an interaction with the victims of the AgriGold, promised to ensure compensation of Rs 7 lakh to each family of 105 depositors who ended their lives, in the event of his party coming to power in the next elections.

Addressing the victims of AgriGold at Dharna Chowk in Vijayawada on Thursday, the YSRCP chief said that ruling party leaders had not given a chance to opposition to discuss the scam in Assembly and reminded that he had questioned the state government based on brief given by the victims.

Reiterating his charge that Agriculture Minister Pulla Rao had allegedly purchased assets of the tainted company, he said Assembly Speaker K Sivaprasada Rao had cut opposition members’ mike while they were questioning the government’s apathy in the case.

Accusing the ruling party leaders of diverting the AgriGold scam debate in Assembly, Jagan assured the victims that the YSRCP leaders would continue support the victims till they get justice.