Jagan's Kakarapalli visit politically motivated

Handlooms and Textiles Minister P Shankar Rao on Tuesday alleged that former Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy was trying to derive political mileage on the police firing incident at Kakarapalli, where two villagers were killed in the anti-thermal power plant agitation.

Talking to media persons at Assembly Media Point, the Minister stated that Mr Jaganmohan Reddy had visited Kakarapalli one week after the incident to get political mileage and not to console the victims’ families.

Dr Shankar Rao dared Mr Jaganmohan Reddy to demand a probe into the incident and said that the lands were sanctioned to private power companies during the tenure of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

Reacting on the statement by Mr Jaganmohan Reddy in which he denied that he had any shares in the East Coast Power Plant, the Minister said a probe into the incident will reveal who are the persons who have invested in the company and the benami shareholders list will also be revealed.

Dr Shankar Rao said the people of the state were not in a position to believe Mr Jaganmohan Reddy, who he alleged was ‘shedding crocodile tears’ on Kakarapalli incident.

The Minister also questioned why Mr Jaganmohan Reddy had not raised this issue during his father’s tenure.

Dr Shankar Rao also demanded that Mr Jaganmohan Reddy issue an apology to women after his followers allegedly misbehaved with a woman during his visit.

Reacting to reports of the police arresting leaders as a precautionary measure before the ‘Million March’ being called by Telangana Political Joint Action Committee on March 10, Dr Shankar Rao demanded that the police should desist from resorting to preventative arrests and thus provoke Telangana protagonists.