Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy is expected to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Mr Ahmed Patel, Union ministers Mr P. Chidambaram, Mr A.K. Antony and Mr Sushilkumar Shinde, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mr Vayalar Ravi on Thursday in New Delhi. Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy has already taken legal opinion regarding the CBI seeking the government’s sanction to prosecute Mr Dharmana Prasada Rao and is likely to brief the Central leaders. He will also discuss the resignation letter submitted by Mr Rao owning moral responsibility after the CBI chargesheeted him as an accused in the Vanpic deal.
According to sources, it was not a question of deciding only Mr Rao’s case; most ministers feared that the investigating agency might proceed against other ministers too in the illegal investments case of Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. “The high command will have to take a decision as a whole on the involvement of ministers in the Jagan case,” a source said.
The Chief Minister will brief the leadership regarding the political fallout of the case, its implications, the mood of the ministers who had teamed up to save him etc. In fact, much significance is being attached to the Chief Minister’s Delhi visit this time amid reports of a total revamp of the state Cabinet, the PCC set up and a decision on Telangana. However, a source close to the Chief Minister said that the discussions would be confined only to Mr Rao’s case. The leadership might also discuss filling up nominated posts and reconstitution of the PCC with the Chief Minister and the PCC chief. To this effect, Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy is apparently going with a list of 20 probables for the nominated posts.