Liquor baron Magunta Srinivasula Reddy whose name was mentioned by AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal earlier this week during a proceeding before a court hearing on the Delhi Liquor Case will be the NDA candidate from Ongole Lok Sabha segment in Andhra Pradesh.
Reddy has been fielded by the Telegu Desam Party, which has aligned with the BJP for both LS and assembly elections in the state. Reddy’s son Raghava Reddy was arrested last year by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the scam but was later released.
As part of the seat-sharing arrangement of the total 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh TDP would contest in 17, BJP in six and Jana Sena in two seats. For assembly, of the total 175 seats, TDP would contest 144, BJP in 10 and Jana Sena in 21 seats.
Citing Reddy’s nomination by Chandrababu Naidu’s party, AAP leader Atishi on Saturday challenged the ED to probe the alleged connection between the BJP and one of the witnesses in the scam.
“I challenge the ED, if it is an independent agency to bring in record this connection and probe it,” she said.
Kejriwal had on Thursday told a Delhi court that Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy changed his statement in the case when his son remained in jail for 5 months. “He changed his statement on July 16, 2023, and his son was released on July 18. Mission accomplished. That means the only mission of the ED was to get me trapped," he said during a hearing where the ED sought an extension of Delhi CM’s remand.
Raghava Reddy who was one of the accused in the Delhi liquor scam being probed by central agencies ED and CBI later turned approver. Based on Raghava’s statements along with that of another accused turned approver P Sarath Chandra Reddy of Aurobindo Pharma, ED had arrested Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, and also BRS MLC K Kavitha.
Srinivasula Reddy was also questioned by ED multiple times and his statements were also recorded in the past. ED also mentioned in several documents that Srinivasula Reddy was a key person in the so-called ‘South Group’ that had allegedly given bribes to key persons in the AAP government to facilitate their liquor cartel.
Srinivasula Reddy who is also a sitting MP from Ongole quit YSRCP recently over ‘differences’ with chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Sources in the YSRCP told DH that while Srinivasula Reddy insisted that this time his son Raghav Reddy be given Ongole Lok Sabha seat, Jagan declined the request after which the liquor baron quit the ruling party and joined TDP.
Interestingly, while joining TDP along with his son a few days ago, Srinivasula Reddy had claimed he had almost retired from politics and in the ensuing polls, his son Raghava Reddy would contest from Ongole Lok Sabha.
The Magunta family has been in the liquor business for many decades and owns liquor manufacturing units across the country mainly in the south.
The ED, in its remand application filed in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on February, 11 last year said that Magunta Raghava Reddy, conspired with others in the formation of a cartel of manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers in the Delhi liquor scam.
Meanwhile, in another related development, Delhi minister for transport, home, and law Kailash Gahlot was on Saturday questioned by the Enforcement Directorate for over 5 hours in a money laundering case related to the Delhi Liquor Policy case.
The summons to Gahlot were served just days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in the case