Quid pro quo: AP govt attaches Chandrababu Naidu’s Tadepalli guest house

TADEPALLI: In a rude shock to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and former chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh has attached his guesthouse, allegedly illegally constructed on the banks of River Krishna in Tadepalli near Vijayawada. The authorities have initiated this action as per the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1944.

The guest house, originally belonging to real estate businessman Lingamaneni Ramesh, was mired in legal troubles following cases registered against it. Chandrababu Naidu, when he was the chief minister, and along with educationist-turned-politician Narayana, when the latter was a minister in the TDP government, were accused of misusing their official positions and indulging in quid pro quo deals.

In the cases registered in this regard, it was alleged that the Lingamaneni’s guest house was acquired in exchange for favours done in the form of malpractices by altering the alignment of the CRDA master plan and the proposed outer ring road project. It was found in preliminary investigation that all norms and rules including the relevant laws, the guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission besides the general fiscal regulations were flouted for this purpose.

The TDP chief and Narayana were also accused of nepotism by misusing their official power to benefit their relatives and close associates. Chandrababu Naidu was accused of acquiring the guest house in return for ensuring huge benefits from the government to Lingamaneni Ramesh. Against this backdrop, the Crime Investigation Department (AP CID), which investigated the charges, has requested the State Government to initiate the attachment procedures as per Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1944. Accordingly, the YSRCP government of YS Jaganmohan Reddy issued orders, as per law, after giving prior information to a local judge, for the attachment of the Lingamaneni guest house built on the banks of River Krishna.

The CID has also attached the assets of the family and relatives of former minister Narayana besides freezing their bank accounts. These include about 75,880 sq ft of lands which were registered in the names of Narayana’s relatives and alleged benamis. The properties belonging to Narayana’s wife Rama Devi and son-in-law Puneeth were also among those attached by the CID.