CBI probe against YS Jaganmohan Reddy: SC order puts the YSR Congress party present in deep trouble

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Supreme Court's refusal to stay the preliminary
enquiry by Central Bureau of Investigation ordered by AP High Court
has put YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy on the defensive.

The Kadapa MP, who is facing allegations of amassing wealth illegally
during the regime of his father, YS Rajasekhar Reddy, will now have to
pass the judicial "agni pariksha" to come out clean. The Supreme
Court's refusal to stay the HC order on CBI preliminary enquiry has
only put Jaganmohan Reddy on a slippery wicket.

He is now more on the self-defence as his very political career is at
stake. If the CBI's preliminary enquiry absolves him of the charges,
Jaganmohan Reddy will pass the agni pariksha with the Mr Clean image.
Any adverse findings by the country's premier investigating agency
will jeopardise the political career of the YSR Congress president,
who has been aspiring to rule the State.

Though Jaganmohan Reddy initially put a brave face and rubbished the
allegations as politically motivated, he took them seriously after the
HC favoured a preliminary enquiry. Knowing that it's difficult to
stand to judicial scrutiny, he made last ditch efforts to knock the
doors of Supreme Court seeking stay on the HC order.

Jaganmohan Reddy's move to seek Supreme Court's intervention gains
significance in the backdrop of the accused in 2G scam, Commonwealth
Games and cash for votes cooling their heels behind the bars. The plea
Jaganmohan Reddy made before the Supreme Court though his counsel that
"with the order on preliminary enquiry, my entire reputation is at
stake... I am seriously prejudiced with its order", showed that he
wanted to wriggle out of the CBI enquiry at any cost.

Incidentally, Jaganmohan Reddy a day earlier criticised Telugu Desam
president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu for
"preventing" probes into allegations of corruption against him and his
regime by knocking the doors of courts.

Jaganmohan Reddy's plea before Supreme Court has given enough
ammunition to his political opponents, both the ruling Congress and
the main Opposition Telugu Desam. APCC official spokesperson Dr N
Tulasi Reddy said Jagan's opposition to the CBI probe had further
strengthened the allegations that he had amassed wealth through
illegal means. "If he is sincere, he should not be afraid of any
probe," he added.

Telugu Desam senior leader P Keshavulu found fault with Jagan for
seeking Supreme Court's intervention. "The preliminary enquiry should
go on so that facts come out before people. If his clean, why did he
want the probe to the stopped," he wondered.