Sabitha, Dharmana: Confident to come out clean

Andhra Pradesh Congress MLAs,A Dharmana Prasada Rao and P Sabitha Reddy, who have been charge-sheeted in the Jagan Mohan Reddy disproportionate assets case, have said that they stand by their resignations. Even as pressure mounts on the state congress to sack them, both the accused are confident that they will come out clean and will stay away from their posts till their names are cleared.

"I have submitted resignation after CBI named me in the charge-sheet. They were only allegations. They are to be proved. I have faith in judiciary. We will come out clean and we followed business rules (in issuing the Government Orders for which they were found fault with)," Roads and Buildings Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao told reporters after meeting Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy. Prasada Rao said he will abide by whatever decision his party and the Chief Minister takes. Rao, was the Revenue Minister in the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy government, and was named as an accused in CBI charge sheet in the Vanpic land allotment scandal. Last year in August, he had submitted his resignation to the Chief Minister but resumed his duties immediately after about three months. Home Minister Sabitha Reddy who was the Minister for Mines in the Rajasekhara Reddy regime, was made an accused in the alleged illegal allocation of mines to certain cement companies. She had offered to quit in April after being named as an accused, but the state Congress leadership persuaded her not to quit. "I have faith in courts and judiciary. We will come out clean. I had submitted my resignation in April itself. I stand by that. I have cooperated with the CBI in their investigation and will continue to do so. I did not violate any rules in issuing the GOs," she said.