Responding to main Opposition TDP demand to drop ‘tainted’ ministers from the Cabinet, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday came in to the rescue of three ministers in the Assembly saying that they should not be called ‘tainted’ ministers.

Kiran Kumar Reddy said the investigating agency had framed charges against them, but the case was still in pending in the court. Stating that the House cannot discuss much deep into the issue, Kiran Reddy said the ministers had taken some cabinet decisions not against the constitution or the law or breaking the rules.

It did not mean that the ministers, who had resigned after their names appeared in the chargesheets, committed mistakes. They resigned on the directive of the party high command and keeping in view of the image of the party and the government, the Chief Minister said and added that chargesheets have been filed in some cases and investigation was still continuing in some other cases, so they had resigned confining to some moral values. Since the charges have not been proved against them, they should not be called as ‘tainted’ ministers, Kiran Reddy explained amidst the uproar from the TDP benches.

Referring to stamp scam in which a TDP leader was jailed, the Chief Minister said there were instances where TDP leaders too were jailed for cabinet decisions.

YSR Congress lashes out CM Kiran

Sharply reacting to comments made by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy that charges against the ministers were not proved so they should not be termed as ‘tainted’ ministers, YSR Congress Bumana Karunakar Reddy on Tuesday lashed out at the double standards used by Kiran Kumar Reddy.

He questioned the Chief Minister why he could not inform the same in the court supporting the Cabinet decisions of the government. He said the Congress Government had glorified YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as a conspirator and instigated CBI to probe against him. He was sent to jail for more than one year though neither he was part of the Government nor he was a member of the Cabinet alleging charges like quid pro quo. When the ministers, who took decisions and singed on the clearance of the projects were innocents, how would be Jagan named as a conspirator and put in jail, Bumana asked.

Criticizing TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu, who conspired with the Congress only to send Jagan to jail as he became a threat to him politically, the YSRCP MLA asked clarification from Naidu why he had deliberately skipped a chance to dethrone the Kiran Government during the no-confidence motion. He also charged Naidu with involvement in the scams like Yeleru, Emaar and IMG.