The Election Commission on Saturday served a notice on Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member K. Chiranjeevi for allegedly making certain objectionable remarks during the campaigning for byelection in Tirupati Assembly constituency last month. Mr Chiranjeevi allegedly said that the sanctity of temple town Tirupati would be lost if the YSR Congress was voted in the bypoll. Following a complaint by the YSR Congress, the EC issued a notice to the actor-turned- politician, asking him to give an explanation by Sunday.
Meanwhile, Jagati Publi-cations vice-chairman V. Vijay Sai Reddy, on Saturday issued notices to TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Dadi Veerabhadra Rao and Eenadu editor Ch Ramoji Rao, seeking their unconditional apology for publication of a news report against him and Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on June 9, under the caption “Ghori+Ghazini=Jagan”.
“Release of the poster by the TD leader and publication in Eenadu is clearly defamatory, scandalous and constitutes a deliberate and malicious attempt to denigrate me in the eyes of the public. The impugned publication is farthest from truth indicating no prior verification except the criminal intent to defame”, Mr Vijay Sai Reddy said in the notice. It was reported that Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy and his benamies looted about Rs 16 lakh crore from the iron ore mines allotted by the YSR government. Mr Veerabhadra Rao also alleged that several industrialists in the state were acting as benamis for Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy.
He demanded CBI probe into benami investments of Jagan and released a poster containing details and valuation of allotment of lands, mines etc.