Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday told the Andhra Pradesh high court that a public interest litigation seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation into his assets was politically motivated and the petitioner was awarded a cabinet berth as a quid pro quo by the ruling Congress government.
The HC on Tuesday began hearing the arguments on a petition filed by Textiles Minister P Shankar Rao seeking a CBI probe into the assets acquired by Jagan, son of late chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy.
Senior counsel KTS Tulsi, arguing on behalf of Jagan, said the Kadapa member of Parliament was being victimised by Andhra Pradesh Government, which harbours a grouse against him since he left Congress.
The petitioner Shankar Rao is merely a pawn in the political game being played by the ruling party in a nefarious alliance with the Opposition party, he said.
Tulsi alleged Rao was rewarded with a cabinet birth for filing the PIL against Jagan. The HC had ordered for a preliminary probe by CBI into the allegations of corruption leveled against Jagan last month.
Besides Rao, two Telugu Desam Party members had also filed petitions seeking a CBI probe into the assets acquired by Jagan. The defense counsel alleged that the PIL reflected a deep-routed malice nursed by Rao as a petitioner and TDP along with Congress as respondents.
The writ petition do not serve any public purpose except spoiling the image of Jaganmohan Reddy, he added.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Nissar Ahmed Kakru and Justice Vilas Afzalpurkar heard the arguments which will continue on Wednesday. Jagan, who had last month approached the Supreme Court seeking stay on the HC order, received a setback when the apex court rejected his plea.
