September 10th 2023.
High drama unfolded on Saturday night after Andhra Pradesh Police arrested the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in connection to an alleged Skill Development Corporation scam.
Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan’s convoy was stopped by the police at Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border near NTR district late on Saturday night. The JSP chief was on his way to Vijayawada when his convoy was stopped by the police at a check-post in Garikapadu.
Upon seeing this, the JSP leader came out of his vehicle and laid down on the road as a mark of protest. This attracted a large number of JSP workers who came to the spot and held a demonstration, blocking the road and leading to a minor scuffle between the police and JSP workers.
In a video shared on social media platforms, Pawan Kalyan could be seen asking whether any visa or passport was required for him to enter Andhra Pradesh.
Earlier in the evening, Pawan Kalyan tried to reach Andhra through airways but Krishna district police ordered airport authorities to not to permit his special flight to Gannavaram airport.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, the actor-turned-politician took a veiled swipe at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy, saying, "The manner in which the former chief minister was arrested today is sad. We condemn in the strictest terms the way the state authorities and the ruling party are making arrests on the orders of one leader."
Meanwhile, Naidu was brought to the government hospital in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada in the early hours of Sunday for medical checkup. According to sources, Naidu was brought by a team of officials from the Central Investigative Department to the hospital and is expected to be produced before the magistrate later in the day.
The case pertains to the establishment of clusters of Centers of Excellence in the state of Andhra Pradesh, with a total estimated project value of Rs 3300 crore. The agency officials also claimed that the alleged fraud has caused a huge loss to the state government in excess of Rs 300 crores.
As per the CID, the investigation has revealed serious irregularities such as before any expenditure by private entities, the then state government provided an advance of Rs 371 crores, representing the entire 10 per cent commitment by the government. Most of the money advanced by the government was diverted to shell companies through fake invoices, with no actual delivery or sale of the items mentioned in the invoices, CID officials said.
It was indeed an eventful night with the police blocking the convoy of JSP leader and the arrest of the former CM of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu in connection with the Skill Development Corporation scam.
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