Hyderabad: The CBI on Friday interrogated YSR Congress party chief Jagan Mohan Reddy for around 2 and half hours in connection with the illegal mining scam.
He was questioned at the CBI office in Hyderabad. Sources say Jagan was probed in relation to his financial dealings with the Janardhana Reddy-owned Obulapuram Mining Company (OMG) and granting mining licences to the Reddy brothers.
The CBI has been investigating the multi-crore scam that spans Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Jagan supporters surrounded the CBI office shouting 'Jai jagan' slogans while he was being questioned.
"They called me in as a witness not as an accused. After 18 months of probing this is enough proof that nothng more could estbalish that there was some undue favour done by me to anybody else," Jagan said.
He said that former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had granted mining lease to the company in 2002.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, the Kadapa MP said the agency had called him as a witness, after one-and-half years of probe into the case.
"I was called to give my opinion in the case, the (same) way CBI had sought the opinion of Sabitamma (state Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, who was mining minister in his father's cabinet). They had not called me as an accused. I requested CBI to probe the role of Chandrababu Naidu, as he had issued government order (GO) allotting 64 acres of land to OMC in 2002," Jagan said, waving copies GO papers.
According to Jagan, Naidu had earlier allotted mining lease for 64 acres of land to Rammohan Reddy in 1996, and later transferred it to OMC. The Kadapa MP said he wanted to know why Naidu had not been questioned by the agency so far, and said the GO should be made a basis for questioning Naidu.
Jagan arrived at CBI office at Koti here at around 10.30 am, and came out at 1.15 pm. The agency had earlier said that Jagan would be questioned only in connection with OMC case, and not about the disproportionate assets case against him.
CBI sources said it was probing alleged nexus between Jagan and Janardhana Reddy. OMC is accused of violating mining
norms in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.
According to CBI, clearance for mining leases to OMC was given during the tenure of former Chief Minister Rajasekhara Reddy, Jagan's father, in an unusual haste.
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