Don't provide legal help to tainted ministers: Shanker Rao

Former minister Dr P Shankar Rao on Saturday expressed his displeasure over the State Government's move to extend legal assistance to tainted ministers, against whom the Supreme Court served notices in connection with issue of 26 controversial GOs that alleged helped YSR Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy amass illegal wealth.

Talking to media persons at Assembly premises, Dr Shankar Rao demanded that the government withdraw the GO providing legal assistance to tainted ministers. Though several senior IAS officers too have been arrested in various scams, providing legal assistance only to corrupt ministers would send message among the people and cause huge damage to the party, he said.

Dr Shankar Rao also appealed to Congress president Sonia Gandhi to intervene in the issue to protect the party's image and its interests.

The former minister appealed to Sonia Gandhi to nominate Kishore Chandra Deo, senior Congress leader from Tribal community for the Vice-President's post. He also appealed to high command to pay glorious tributes to former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy to mark his 64th birth anniversary.

He appealed to YSR Congress party honorary president Y S Vijayamma and party president Jaganmohan Reddy to vote for the UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee in the Presidential elections to fulfill the last wishes of YSR.