Telugu Desam party dared YSR Congress president and Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy to tell if Penna Group’s Prabhakar Reddy was not his father YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s proxy. It also asked Jagan to state if his father had not thrown to the winds all rules to lease out Bauxite deposits to ANRAK, a joint venture of Penna Group and Ras Al Khaima government.Responding to the YSRC party’s opposition to the bauxite mining proposal by the TDP government and its criticism of the white paper released by state government, finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu alleged that opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy was trying to hoodwink the people by distorting the facts.
Releasing a statement on behalf Telugu Desam party, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said the Opposition leader was resorting to the mudslinging as the white paper sought to bring to light hard facts about the bauxite mining deals entered by his father YS Rajasekhar Reddy, when he was chief minister. According to Ramakrishnudu, while according permission to bauxite mining in 2007 YSR had ensured that the permission to mine 224 million MTs of bauxite, estimated to yield Rs.22,400 crore, was given to his close associate Pratap Reddy bending all rules and regulations. The finance minister also said the ANRAK was given life-time permission to mine bauxite in 1,649 hectares in Chintapalli mandal, Visakhapatnam district.“The YSR government had committed gross impropriety in awarding the mining leases by not inviting global bids. The lease had been given on nomination basis to a single entity, ANRAK Aluminium,” Ramakrishnudu alleged.
Stating that there was a conspiracy in according permission to ANRAK, the finance minister said the then YSR government handed over the responsibility of fixing up of price of ore to CRU International only to benefit his associates. While permissions for the first stage were accorded during YSR’s tenure, the Kiran Kumar Reddy government had approached the Centre for securing permissions for second stage in Jerrala and Chintapalli area, he said.
“ The opposition leader should clarify whether he has business links with Penna Group or not and whether permissions were accorded to a hotel owned by Pratap Reddy during the YSR regime or not,” the finance minister asked.
