Kiran objects to Vijayammas outburst at Sonia

HYDERABAD: Taking a serious exception to YS Vijayalakshmi’s allegations against Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the wake of the arrest of her son and Kadapa MP Jagan Mohan Reddy, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has advised her to explain, not to him but to the court, as to how huge investments flowed into her son’s companies.“This is a democracy. You have an opportunity to prove that you are not guilty. Do it,” he challenged her and her son at a news conference at the state secretariat here on Monday.The chief minister, who was annoyed with Vijayamma for making sweeping allegations against Sonia Gandhi, told her that if she looked back  she would know that her husband, the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, had grown in politics because of the Congress. “He was made PCC president twice, CLP leader once and chief minister twice.” He asked Viajaymma not to try to whip up a sympathy wave to ride it in the byelections by saying that she suspected a foul-play in the death of her husband. “If you have any fresh evidence which points to the possibility of a foul-play in the death of your husband, pass it on to the government. If necessary, we will order a fresh inquiry,” he said.Reddy made it very clear that neither the Centre nor the state nor the Congress had anything to do with the arrest of Jagan Mohan Reddy or the course of the CBI investigation into the Kadapa MP’s riches. “The investigation is being done at the instance of the High Court. There is no way the government can interfere in it,” he said.On rounding up of YSR Congress leaders across the state, he said it was meant to prevent break-down of law and order and nothing more should be read into it. He dismissed as baseless the charge that it was an act to weaken the YSR Congress at a time when the by elections are round the corner (June 12).To a question he made it clear that the ministers on whom the Supreme Court had served notices would fight their own legal battles. “If at any stage it becomes necessary, the government will intervene since they are part of the cabinet.” As regards the arrest of Mopidevi Venakta Ramana, he said he personally felt that the minister would come out unscathed. “It is my opinion. The CBI is doing investigation, Let us wait and see what happens,” he said. He dismissed as baseless the reports that there was intense pressure on the other five ministers, who were served notices by the Supreme Court, to disown YSR and turn approvers.To another question on when the state would give clearance for prosecution of IAS officers involved in cases being investigated by the CBI, he said it would take some time.