Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said his political life has been one of integrity and without any blemish.
Reacting to the 'Emperor of Corruption' booklet brought out by opposition YSR Congress, alleging a corruption of Rs 1.34 lakh crore in the TDP government in the last two years, Naidu said the "people who went to jail" (on charges of corruption) were making baseless allegations against him.
"I have a long political career without a blemish. Late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy instituted 25 inquiries against me and filed as many cases in courts. But he could prove nothing and had to withdraw the cases," Naidu said while addressing a public meeting where YSRC MLA Gottipati Ravikumar joined the TDP.
"I told (YSR) to do whatever he can. He couldn't do anything. Now, some people are trying to damage the brand image of Andhra Pradesh by making false allegations," he said.
Referring to the land pooling for the state's new capital Amaravati, the Chief Minister said farmers of the region voluntarily parted with 33,000 acres of land as they had belief in him.
"This is history. Everything is done in a transparent manner. Now, these people are alleging that land pooling is a Rs one lakh crore scam. How ridiculous!," Naidu remarked.
Lashing out at the YSRC, he said the Opposition party had been trying to block the state's development.
"It tried to scuttle the capital development by provoking farmers not to contribute their land. It tried in vain to block the Pattisam Lift Irrigation Scheme. It is trying to come in the way of Visakhapatnam International Airport development. And now, the YSRC is seeking to damage the state's brand image by making false allegations (of corruption)," he said.
"This is a crucial time for the state. I need all your support. We should set aside politics and focus on (building) the state's future," Naidu said.
The YSRC published the booklet 'Emperor of Corruption' and distributed it to leaders of various parties in New Delhi yesterday.
The YSRC alleged that the TDP government was involved in corrupt deals to the tune of Rs 1.34 lakh crore in the last two years.
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Dismissing Jagan's allegations, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, son of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, called for an open debate on corruption with the opposition leader.
Taking a dig at Jagan over the YSR Congress MLAs leaving his party, Lokesh said only "scamsters and accused in corruption cases will remain with the YSRC chief Jaganmohan Reddy".
"My family has been declaring our assets since last seven years unlike Jagan," he said.
