Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy urged governor ESLNarasimhan to intervene and stop the defections being engineered by Telugu Desam Party president and chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. Jagan led a team of Party MLAs and senior leaders to Raj Bhavan to lodge a complaint with the Governor about how Naidu ‘buying ‘ his party MLAs with, what he described as ill-gotten money.
Incidentally, when Jagan and his MLAs were in Raj Bhavan, chief minister Naidu admitted another YSRC MLA Chand Basha(Kadiri) in to TDP at his Vijayawada camp office. With this the number of MLAs, who deserted Jagan to join TDP rose to 13.
After his meeting with Governor, Jagan said they had explained to the governor how Naidu offering money collected from contractors of Pattiseema project and sand mafia to buy MLAs. He alleged that Naidu was offering about Rs 20 crore to Rs 30 crore to each YSRC MLA.
“We requested the governor to intervene and stop the defections. The chief minister and the speaker have colluded to save the MLAs from being disqualified under the provisions of anti-defection law” he said
” We have lost a dozen of MLAs. But it won’t change the status of YSR Congress. Still we urged the governor on the urgency to stop corruption of chief minister Naidu and deployment of ill-gotten money taken from contractors to buy the MLAs” Jagan told media outside Raj Bhavan.
Jagan dared Naidu to seek fresh mandate for all the defectors if he was so confident of people’s support for his ‘undemocratic practices’.
As part of the ‘Save Democracy’, Jagan said, candle light vigil will be organized Saturday night in all district headquarters.
” All MLAs and MPs will meet President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief of Election Commission and other leaders of national parties. We are going to New Delhi on Monday” Jagan said adding that he had sought audience with the President and PM.
