HYDERABAD: Already cornered with the alleged illegal assets case and now finding himself dragged into the murky affairs of illegal mining involving jailed mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy, Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy shifted the entire blame on former chief minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu holding him responsible for granting the mining lease to Gali Janardhan Reddy. During his two-and-a-half hour questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday, the young MP tried to put up a brave front, denying he had anything to do with Gali brothers or their Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC). Short and crisp replies and copies of two GOs issued when Chandrababu Naidu was the chief minister was all the CBI got from the Kadapa MP.In fact, TV channels went to town with stories that it was the Kadapa MP who had ‘grilled’ the CBI when it was supposed to be the other way round. Appearing before the investigation agency as a witness in the OMC illegal mining case, Jagan Mohan Reddy gave CBI officials copies of two GOs issued by the industries and commerce department in 1996 and 2002 respectively, both under the erstwhile TDP regime The first one, GO MS No 236, related to renewal of a mining lease of iron ore over an extent of 64.28 acre in Obulapuram village in Rayadurg mandal of Anantapur district in favour of G Rama Mohan Reddy for a period of 20 years with effect from December 14, 1984.Jagan Mohan Reddy tried to put the blame for giving the mining contract to Gali Janardhan Reddy on the Chandrababu Naidu government by providing the investigation agency a copy of GO MS 80 pertaining to the transfer of mining lease held by G Rama Mohan Reddy in favour of Obulapuram Mining Company Private Limited for the unexpired period of lease, i.e up to December 13, 2004.Further, Jagan Mohan Reddy reportedly sought to know how the investigation agency could not obtain the GOs issued by the government though it had been investigating the case for the past one-and-a-half years.The MP also tried to make it clear that his father, the late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who came to power in 2004 did not play any role nor `influence’ anyone to transfer the mining lease to the OMC.In the morning, Jagan Mohan Reddy reached the CBI office at Koti around 10.45 a.m along with his confidants Vijay Sai Reddy and MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy.Jagan Reddy was reportedly questioned by CBI joint director VV Lakshminarayana amid surcharged atmosphere outside the Kendriya Sadan housing the CBI office.Hundreds of supporters of the MP reached there in support of their leader and police were on their toes to keep the situation from going out of control.Emerging from the CBI office, a confident-looking Jagan told reporters that he was only questioned as a `witness’ as they did with Sabithamma (home minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy) after one-and-a-half years of probe.“This shows my innocence,” he said.“The CBI should also question Chandrababu Naidu in the matter as the GOs were issued during his regime,” he said.The MP also lashed out at a section of ‘yellow media’ and asked them to investigate the role of Chandrababu Naidu in the OMC case.CBI joint director VV Lakshminarayana told reporters that they had recorded the statement of Jagan Mohan Reddy. “He gave copies of the GO and we will look into them,” he said.
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