Amaravati Land scam: YSRCP MPs demand CBI probe, protest at Parliament

New Delhi: Demanding a CBI probe into the Amaravati land scam and AP Fiber Grid scam, YSRCP MPs organised a protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Parliament premises here on 17 September.

The party general secretary and MP, V. Vijayasai Reddy, said the gag order issued by the Andhra Pradesh High Court did not go well with the intelligentsia as it is a tool that should be used under very special and extraordinary circumstances. It seems the interpretation differs from person to person, he remarked.

అమరావతి భూములు, ఏపీ ఫైబర్ గ్రిడ్ కుంభకోణాలపై సీబీఐ విచారణను డిమాండ్ చేస్తూ గురువారం ఢిల్లీలోని విజయ్ చౌక్‌లో, పార్లమెంట్ ఆవరణలోని మహాత్మా గాంధీ విగ్రహం ఎదుట వైఎస్సార్‌ కాంగ్రెస్‌ పార్టీ ఎంపీల నిరసన ప్రదర్శన.

Video Link: https://t.co/xJA2yvpkmR pic.twitter.com/dEWzUP2eEU

— Vijayasai Reddy V (@VSReddy_MP) September 17, 2020

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“Normally, governments seek gag orders on media but in Amaravati, the situation is different with the judiciary passing such orders. There seems to be an overlapping of functions of constitutional bodies and the general impression is that the judiciary has overreached the legislature and executive,” the MP said.

He said people saw the gag order as a deprivation of the fundamental right of expression. “We have raised the issue in the House. We are not attributing motives to any individuals but are only questioning to apply the same yardstick to one and all,” he said, adding, “There were no such gag orders when we were at the receiving end.”

MP Mithun Reddy said the YSRCP MPs would take up the issue with the President and Prime Minister and speak about it at all available avenues. It is unfortunate that courts are hindering the investigation into scams, he said. “As lawmakers we have the right to raise the issue in the Parliament and speak out about the functioning of the judiciary,” he added.