Another TDP MLA arrested

Suresh Dharur

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, July 6

The Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths today arrested another Telugu Desam Party (TDP) legislator S Venkata Veeraiah in connection with the cash-for-vote scam.

Veeraiah, who represents Sattupally constituency in Khammam district, is the second MLA from the opposition party to be arrested in the case that has triggered political furore in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states. 

On May 31, the TDP’s deputy floor leader in the Telangana Assembly, A Revanth Reddy, along with two of his associates was allegedly caught red-handed while offering bribe to a nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson to vote in favour of the TDP in the elections to the Telangana Legislative Council. Revanth Reddy was granted bail last week by the High Court.

Veeraiah, who appeared before the investigating agency here today after ignoring two notices earlier, was grilled by the investigators for nearly seven hours before taking him into custody. The legislator had last week stated that he was ready to appear before the ACB team and that he would fully cooperate with the investigation. The ACB last month quizzed V Narender Reddy, the defeated candidate of TDP in the legislative council elections.

The cash-for-vote scam has dented the image of the TDP, which is in power in AP. What added to its embarrassment was the surfacing of an audio tape in the first week of June, purportedly containing the party president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s conversation with Stephenson and assuring him that “all commitments would be honoured” if he voted in favour of TDP. Allegations and counter-allegations have been flying thick and fast since then as the issue soon snowballed into a political battle between Naidu and his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao. 

Alleging “illegal tapping” of their phones by the Telangana government, Naidu and his party leaders have been demanding invocation of section 8 of the AP Reorganisation Act and handing over special powers to the Governor, who is common to both the states, to oversee law and order in Hyderabad.