Hyderabad land scam: TDP suspends MLC

Amaravati, June 15: Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Thursday suspended Legislative Council member G. Deepak Reddy, who was arrested last week for his alleged involvement in a land scam.

Taking a serious note of the allegations against Reddy, TDP national president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu suspended the MLC, a close relative of TDP MP J.C. Diwakar Reddy.

According to party sources, Naidu conveyed to party leaders and ministers during a meeting of TDP coordination committee that those facing allegations of corruption had no place in the party.

Naidu made it clear that there was no question of tolerating anybody bringing bad name to the party.

Last week, Hyderabad police arrested Reddy and his two associates for their alleged involvement in fraudulent land transactions. The city court sent them to jail for two weeks.

The MLC and his associates were allegedly involved in encroachment of land worth over Rs 160 crore in Asifnagar and Banjara Hills areas in the city. Reddy is the second MLC suspended by the party following corruption charges in less than a month.

Last month, Vakati Narayana Reddy was suspended following a cheating and loan default case registered against him and his firm by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The CBI had conducted searches at the MLC's house in Nellore town and also at his office VNR Infrastructures in Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

The agency has registered a case against him and his firm for obtaining a loan of Rs 190 crore from IFCI using "fabricated" documents and later defaulting on repayment.

IANS