Congress demands CBI inquiry in cash-for-vote case

Hyderabad, Jun 28: Congress today demanded a CBI inquiry into the cash-for-vote case allegedly involving Telangana TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy.

"...We don't want a constitutional crisis to emerge. We would like that both Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recommend this case to Central government for CBI investigation," Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh told reporters here.

Because of the sensitivity of this case, we would like the investigation of CBI should be monitored by an SIT appointed by Hyderabad High Court or preferably by Supreme Court.

If it doesn't happen, both the state Congress committees of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh would file a PIL in High Court seeking to order CBI probe in the case, Singh said.

"The issue of cash-for-vote case is something which concerns us deeply...we never expected from Chandrababu Naidu and Chandrasekhar Rao, both experienced political leaders, to act in such an immature manner," he said.

"Chandrababau Naidu is raising the issue that his phone was tapped, but he has not denied the fact...that he was bribing the MLA (nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson) to vote for TDP nominee in the MLC elections," Singh alleged.

"This itself is something which Naidu should explain and not hide behind whether proper procedure of phone-tapping was followed by Telangana government or not," he said.

This is a matter which has to be investigated by CBI, the Congress leader demanded. Earlier, Telangana's nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson had lodged a complaint with ACB alleging that he was offered Rs 5 crore by the TDP MLA to vote in favour of a Telugu Desam MLC nominee in Telangana Legislative Council polls held on June 1.

Subsequently, the ACB had arrested Revanth along with Bishop Harry Sebastian and R Uday Simha on May 31 while they were allegedly paying a bribe of Rs 50 lakh to Stephenson.

Revanth Reddy and two others accused are presently in judicial custody till June 29. Some channels had earlier aired a conversation allegedly between Naidu and Stephenson.

A war of words had broken out between the two states after the cash-for-vote case, with Naidu alleging that his phone was tapped even as a total of 87 cases were registered by AP Police against Telangana CM and others.

However, Telangana government and the ACB denied that the phones of Naidu and others were tapped.

PTI