With Eenadu Telugu daily unleashing an attack on the Jagan Mohan Reddy government by carrying “investigative stories” almost every day alleging corruption in various projects, the ruling YSR Congress party decided to launch a counter-attack on the founder-chairman of the daily Ch Ramoji Rao.
Reacting strongly to the latest story on lack of progress in Polavaram major irrigation project pointing an accusing finger at the Jagan government, senior YSRC leader and state irrigation minister Ambati Rambabu alleged that Ramoji Rao had developed a grouse against the government because the latter had filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court in the Margadarshi scam.
He described Ramoji Rao has the leader of the “Dushta Chatushtayam” (gang of four), the other three being TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Jyothy managing director Vemuri Radhakrishna and TV5 managing director B R Naidu.
“Day in and day out, Ramoji Rao’s newspaper has been cooking up one story or the other, spitting venom against the Jagan government, with the sole intention of bringing Chandrabu Naidu to power,” he said.
Ambati said it was an open secret that Ramoji Rao is the Raja Guru (godfather) of Naidu.
“In fact, Ramoji Rao is the de facto president of the TDP, as he is playing a key role in the selection of candidates for the party in the elections. It is Ramoji Rao, who used to decide who should be there in the cabinet,” he said.
He alleged that Ramoji Rao had played a big role in dethroning NTR from power, as the latter had not listened to him, and bringing Naidu to power.
“With the help of Naidu, he started looting public money through Margadarsi company. When former MP Vundavalli filed a case against Margadarshi scam, he managed to get away due to Naidu’s support,” he said.
Describing Ramoji Rao as a white-collared criminal, Ambati pointed out that at the time of bifurcation of the high court, the media baron got the case struck off in the high court using influence.
“When it came to Vundavalli’s notice, the latter moved the Supreme Court. Now since the Jagan government filed an affidavit in the SC, Ramoji Rao developed grudge and started writing negative stories in Eenadu,” he alleged.
On the negative stories on Polavaram project, Ambati said the main reason for Ramoji’s grouse was that Jagan government had stopped looting of public money by Navayuga company, owned by the media baron’s close relative.
“Naidu gave the project to Navayuga on a nomination basis. It was a big scam. That is why Jagan has cancelled it and gone in for reverse tendering. That has upset Ramoji,” the minister said.
