CBI can reopen Paritala Ravi murder case: DL

The Central Bureau Of Investigation, if necessary, can reopen the murder case of Telugu Desam Party MLA from Rayalaseema Paritala Ravindra.

An indication to this effect has been given by Rayalaseema leader and Minister for Medical and Health Services D L Ravindra Reddy who was speaking to media persons at the Secretariat on Saturday.

"They (CBI) were at liberty to do so," Dr Ravindra Reddy said.

The Minister's expression comes in the wake of Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu accusing the YSR regime of 'master minding' the murder of their party functionary after the former chief minister had come to power. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy had also raised the issue by saying that that he had to spend overtime to defend the former chief minister’s son YS Jaganmohan Reddy at the instance of YSR.

The Minister was also categorical saying that he would discuss the 'CBI' investigation in the next Cabinet meeting. He was also critical of Kadapa's defiant leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy's activities and that of his followers, who he described as 'rowdies' and 'vagabonds'.  These men have been on the pay rolls of Mr Jaganmohan Reddy and took his commands for a 'price', Dr Ravindra Reddy charged.

Referring to the threatening phone calls received by Handlooms Minister P Shankar Rao recently, Dr Ravindra Reddy opined that Mr Jaganmohan Reddy's henchmen were responsible for organising such calls for payments. 

It had been his experience for the last six years that the 'systems' in the government were weakened affecting the law and order, he said.

"The strength of sycophants increased has increased. We are in a worst situation," said Dr Ravindra Reddy. Mr Jaganmohan Reddy and his men were taking advantage of this situation, he added.

He termed the threat 'calls' issue as a 'rowdy kingdom' apparently making a jibe at Mr Jaganmohan Reddy. Further, he described the unidentified callers’ activities as their 'business' getting employed for carrying out their 'master's' orders.  

Dr Ravindra Reddy also denounced the branding of the government as 'sleeping' by Dr Shankar Rao. He observed that self-defence was better at times such as this and he was also recipient of such calls in the past but he never feared nor did he stepped up security at his home.

"I have just one constable at my home for security," he said. Both Dr Shankar Rao and himself were sailing in the same boat as far as the threat calls were concerned, the Minister said. 

Asked whether the Legislators were getting bought, obviously by Mr Jaganmohan Reddy, the Minister clarified in affirmative. He also quoted the case of former MLA from Proddatur Raghuveera Reddy, who was believed to have made crores of rupees for switching sides. 

Fielding another question, the Minister made it clear that excepting two Ministers - himself and Dr Shankar Rao, other ministers were not much in the news commenting on Mr Jaganmohan Reddy or so which has been attributed to their personal preoccupation. He however hastened to add that, "All of them are quite loyal to Sonia Gandhi."

Defending the Racha Banda as a major decision in terms of serving the poor, the Minister made light of Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao’s comments. KCR demanding elections every time the Telangana issue arose, lowered his own credibility, Dr Ravindra Reddy stated.

People have given the government a mandate of five years and expected results and service from the public representatives, he said. The Minister added that there was no sense in calling for dissolution of Assembly.