Revanth in ACB net

Hyderabad: The MLC elections under the MLA quota to be held on Monday have become a prestigious issue for all the political parties more so for the ruling TRS and the opposition TDP. The fight between the two parties had become so intense that it even led to horse-trading wherein the TDP firebrand leader A Revanth Reddy was taken into custody by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Sunday afternoon.

According to ACB DSP Ashok Reddy, Revanth Reddy was taken into custody by the sleuths of the ACB while allegedly trying to bribe nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson to vote in favour of the TDP candidate in the Legislative Council election. The ACB sleuths said that they had laid a trap for Revanth Reddy based on a complaint by the nominated MLA. According to police sources, Reddy is said to have struck a deal to pay Rs 5 crore to the Anglo-Indian MLA if he backed the TDP candidate in the polls.

But according to a video footage released by the ACB, says that Reddy told Stephenson that his party was ready to give Rs 2 crore to 2.5 crore if he voted for the TDP nominee. The ACB officers, who were waiting in disguise, reportedly caught Revanth Reddy and his aides immediately after they opened the cash box in the house which contained Rs 50 lakh. The police said they had also made audio and video evidence of the whole episode."

A case has been registered against MLA Revanth Reddy under Prevention of Corruption Act, The Representation of the People Act and he is in custody." He would be produced before the ACB court on Monday.Sources said that the sleuths also recorded the conversation on cell phone between the two legislators. High drama was witnessed at the residence of Stephenson’s friend in Pushpa Nilayam in Vijayapuri Colony in Tarnaka.

The ACB officials cordoned off the area after Reddy was taken into custody. The officials questioned Reddy and the nominated MLA for more than one hour at the latter’s residence. The incident sent shockwaves in the political circles and the TRS was quick to cash in on the development with Minister for Commercial Taxes Talasani Srinivas Yadav alleging that the TDP was morally bankrupt. “We never expected the TDP to stoop to such levels to bribe the nominated MLA, who is supporting us,” he said.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister K Srihari and Commercial Taxes Minister T Srinivas Yadav said that Revanth had taken the money to buy the Anglo-Indian MLA allegedly for Rs 50 crore under the instruction of party Chief N Chandrababu Naidu and that the growing differences between the party floor leader E Dayakar Rao and Revanth Reddy resulted in the later becoming a scapegoat.

Revanth Reddy said he was trapped by the TRS government which foisted cases against him. He said his arrest was the government’s conspiracy. The TDP leader said he came to Stephenson house to meet a friend who called him in the evening before going to the camp, organised at a star hotel for all T-TDP MLAs, a day before the MLC elections. “I was beaten up and my watch was snatched,” alleged the TDP leader. He said that he would not be cowed down by such threats.

Reddy said he would fight against Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s government till the latter was dethroned from his seat. “I have the courage and strength to fight against KCR for next 25 years,” he said. Meanwhile, TTDP working president E Dayakar Rao told The Hans India that it was a conspiracy hatched by the TRS. The pink party, he said, had stooped to unprecedented levels and had given the go-by to all political ethics and morals.

Another TDP leader Mothukupalli Narasimhulu described the development as unfortunate and alleged that the TRS was hell bent on defaming the TDP leadership. “I feel it’s a conspiracy and hope the TRS and the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will desist from such practices that are unhealthy in a democracy,” he said.

Amidst this drama a T-TDP delegation led by party working president E Dayakar Rao met DGP Anurag Sharma and demanded handing over of Revanth Reddy to the party. He alleged that the arrest of Reddy was the TRS’s political conspiracy to weaken the TDP in Telangana. The arrest of Reddy was undemocratic and unconstitutional, he added.

Meanwhile, Director-General of ACB A K Khan late on Sunday night denied that they had released any video footage. Talking to media, Khan said he was sure of the fact that no video footage was released by the ACB nor was it leaked by any official of his department. He said they have taken Revanth into custody based on the complaint filed by the MLA and were in the process of completing certain formalities before producing him in the court.

Replying to a question, Khan also denied that the ACB did not allow advocates to meet Revanth Reddy despite the apex court guidelines. "You can see for yourself they are talking to the MLA and even the TDP leaders who came to meet him were allowed. He said cases under Section 120 B have been booked against Revanth. He came to Stephenson’s house with two aides. All of them have been taken into custody and inquiry is on,” he said.