Amaravati, Sept 9, 2023: The arrest of Chandrababu Naidu is not an overnight affair but was the result of a thorough investigation into the skill development scam YSRCP has said and brushed aside the false propaganda of victimization.
Speaking to media here on Saturday Party General Secretary and Advisor to Government (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said Chandrababu Naidu was kingpin of the skill development scheme scam and there were kickbacks through shell companies. There was no need for political victimisation on a spent force like Chandrababu Naidu but the law is taking due course as the scam is an economic offence of the highest order.
“CID registered FIR on the skill development scam on December 9, 2021, thoroughly probed the case and based on evidence, Chandrababu was arrested for questioning following due procedure,’ he said adding that Government would never resort politics of victimisation.
“The TDP president is not above the law and CID officials had followed due procedures.
Politics and crime investigation are different and the arrest was made based on merits of the case. The rest would be decided by courts of law.
Four persons- Siemens ex-MD Somyadri Sekhar alias Suman Bose, Design Tech Systems MD VV Kanvelkar, Financial Adviser Mukul Chandra Agarwal and Chartered Accountant Suresh Goyal of Skiller Enterprises were already arrested in the case by ED which probed the matter and were remanded to judicial custody.
Even before the case was registered by CID, officials of the Central agencies gave information of the diversion of public funds which emanated from the skill development scam.
After the Government reportedly signed MoU with German firm Siemens for imparting training in skill development to the youth and issued a GO, Skill Development Corporation independently signed another MoU with the Design Tech in contravention of the issued GO, he said.
While the Government was supposed to invest Rs. 371 crore, 10 per cent of the Rs.3356crore mentioned in the GO with the rest being invested by the Siemens for training the youth in skill development under the aegis of Skill Development Corporation, the then Government transferred the amount to Design Tech which never invested its share. GST was also not paid on the transferred amount.
This amount was diverted to Chandrababu, other TDP leaders and their conduits through shell companies later, he said.
Investigation revealed that the persons who signed the MoU with the Government were suspended officials of the Siemens which said it had nothing to do with the MoU and the GO.
Officials also mentioned in the note files that the amount was transferred to the Design Tech on the instruction of the then Chief Minister and it is his turn to prove his innocence.
The investigation revealed that the Skill Development Corporation was established with the malicious intention of looting public money in the guise of imparting training the youth in skill development.
Defending the arrest, Energy and Environment Minister P. Ramahandra Reddy questioned the silence of Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan and CPI leaders Narayana and Ramakrishna over the looting of public money to the tune of Rs. 371crore by Chandrababu Naidu. In a press meet at Tirupati he found fault with State BJP president Purandeswari and the TDP friendly media for defending Chandrababu who had violated all rules and siphoned off public money.
At Guntur, Irrigation Minister A. Rambabu said Naidu’s arrest was unavoidable as per the Indian constitution. All the arrested persons in the scam spilled the beans over his involvement,” he said. Housing Minister J. Ramesh said that the arrest of Chandrababu Naidu in the skill development scam is a welcome development for the state and would do good to the people.
Industries Minister G. Amarnath told reporters at Visakhapatnam that Chandrababu resorted to the scam and looted public money by conspiring with the fraudsters in the same way as cyber fraudsters cheat gullible people and loot their hard-earned money.
Babu..why was he desperate to form an alliance?
