Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh Police have arrested former minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA Ghanta Srinivas Rao in Skill Development Corporation scam case.
Srinivas Rao was arrested here a few hours after TDP president and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was taken into custody in Nandyal town.
The former minister was arrested from his residence. He was later shifted to Disha Police Station.
He told media persons that since the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) was losing power, it was trying to somehow target the Opposition parties.
The former minister condemned the arrest of Chandrababu Naidu.
He said the way the senior most politician was arrested is highly condemnable.
Srinivas Rao said it was all done to please Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.
“Since Jagan had spent 16 months in jail, he wants to see the leader of opposition also in jail,” the TDP leader said.
The MLA said since nothing came out of various inquiries ordered during the last four years, the YSRCP government was trying to frame the leader of opposition in a false case.
According to the Crime Investigation Department (CID), Chandrababu Naidu, then chief minister orchestrated a conspiracy to misappropriate the funds allotted for the Skill Development programme.
It claimed that as a part of the conspiracy, along with the then minister Ghanta Srinivas Rao, Chandrababu Naidu ordered for floating a corporation named Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC), by-passing the Council of Ministers and deviating from the existing rules.
“This case revolves around the establishment of clusters of centres of excellence in Andhra Pradesh. Total estimated project value was Rs 3,300 crore and the huge loss that was caused is in excess of Rs 300 crore,” a CID official said.
The CID alleged that the offence was committed between January 2015 and March 2018.
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