Naidu feels the big squeeze

V V Balakrishna
Last Updated : 27 Nov 2011 11:00:13 AM IST

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu finds himself again in the firing line. This time it is the CBI which is raining bullets on him. The investigating agency has been ordered by the Andhra Pradesh High Court to carry out a probe into his assets. The High Court has acted on a petition filed by Y S Vijayamma, the widow of former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekara Reddy.

Political analysts feel that Vijayamma's petition is a tit-for-tat. TDP leaders had filed a petition in the High Court seeking a CBI probe into the illegal wealth of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. The CBI on their part questioned YSR Congress president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. So pundits believe that since Jagan is himself facing a probe he entrusted the job of filing a counter complaint to his mother and YSRC honorary president Y S Vijayamma. The Economic Directorate has already slapped notices on Nara Lokesh, Naidu’s son and NTR Memorial Trust.

The TDP views it as a political conspiracy to prevent TDP from coming to power in 2014. “YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy is losing ground after the CBI probe and the Congress too hasn’t been able to do much. TDP is growing stronger in the state. That is why Jagan colluded with Congress high command and filed a case against Naidu,” TDP senior leader Motkupalli Narasimhulu said. “Jagan called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently. After that the CBI probe against him slowed down. As per the deal struck by YSR Congress with Congress, Vijayamma filed a petition against Naidu. Now, around 26 Jagan loyalist MLAs, who quit Congress and extended support to Jagan, were returning to the Congress fold. This is the understanding between YSRC and Congress," TDP politburo member Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said.YSR Reddy as an opposition leader had filed many cases against Naidu and after becoming CM; he constituted as many as 24 commissions and probes against the TDP chief. As a counter attack, TDP is now planning to file petitions against the then cabinet ministers in YSR Reddy’s regime. TDP is also planning to file petitions seeking probe into the trusts owned by Sonia Gandhi because the TDP is suspecting that CBI probe against Naidu was a conspiracy hatched by Congress high command.