Jagan's arrest: Mother seeks Quraishi's intervention

Hyderabad, May 28: Kadapa MP

's mother and the party honorary chief YS Vijaya requested Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi to direct

to release her son in the larger interest of democracy and sought holding of free and fair elections in

.

In a letter addressed to Quraishi, Vijaya alleged her son was arrested just days before the June 12 bypolls as part of a larger conspiracy to deprive his participation in the election with the sole aim of helping the ruling Congress candidates. Reacting to the letter, Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal said the Election Commission will take a call on the issue.

In her letter, Vijaya said, "I am writing this letter with great hope that you would kindly intervene (in the matter)...CBI has arrested him (Jagan) on May 27, just 15 days before the by-elections (in the 18 Assembly segments and one Lok Sabha seat in Andhra Pradesh)...This is part of a larger conspiracy to deprive his participation in the elections with the sole objective of helping the ruling Congress candidates."

"They have waited for 270-odd days; they can wait for another 15 days, particularly when there is no possibility whatsoever for tampering with evidence," she said.

"The CBI did not summon Jagan for almost 270 days after filing the FIR. They could have arrested him at any time after the filing of FIR. But, they did not do so," the wife of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy maintained.

Vijaya, who is also an MLA, alleged CBI was being misused by the Congress. "It is no secret that, in all CBI cases involving senior political leaders, they act according to the instructions of the Central government, which is presently the Congress-led UPA Government. Naturally, the CBI is serving the interest of the Congress party."

PTI