Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy writes to Amit Shah, seeks probe into phone-tapping

NELLORE: Disgruntled YSRCP MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy on Wednesday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order an investigation into the tapping of his phones by the Andhra Pradesh Intelligence department.

Addressing the media in Nellore on Wednesday, The Nellore Rural MLA said that he had written to the Union Home Minister seeking a probe in this regard. In his letter, Sridhar Reddy claimed that his personal freedom had been violated. The rebel MLA also requested that those guilty be held accountable.

According to reports, Sridhar Reddy also intends to pay a visit to Delhi and personally meet Amit Shah once he secures the latter’s appointment. He is also expected to provide all relevant information and proofs in support of his phone-tapping allegations.

A war of words has been going on between Sridhar Reddy and the ministers and YSRCP leaders ever since he made the phone-tapping allegations. He also claimed that he was receiving threatening phone calls.

The MLA said that fake cases were being filed against him and said that he was not afraid of the consequences of his actions.

Sridhar Reddy claimed that his phone tapping began after he addressed people's concerns about roads, drinking water, and other municipal issues in his constituency.

The YSRCP leaders, who have been vehemently refuting Sridhar Reddy's allegations, claim that the disgruntled MLA was faking the charges and using it as a smokescreen to join the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). The rebel legislator has been in touch with the top leadership of the TDP over the last few months and had been acting as their covert since then, they allege.

Sridhar Reddy, who has evidently fallen out of his party leadership’s favour for sometime, has recently caused ripples when he accused the YSRCP government of tapping his phones. He made direct accusations against YSRCP president and Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy and YSRCP General Secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy as being responsible for this.

He even announced that he would not be contesting the next elections on a YSRCP ticket, thus severing his ties with the ruling party. This prompted the YSRCP leadership to immediately appoint MP Adala Prabhakara Reddy as the incharge of the Nellore Rural Assembly constituency, signalling that he would replace Sridhar Reddy as the party’s candidate there.