New Delhi: TDP general secretary and N Chandrababu Naidu's son Nara Lokesh has said that his father's arrest by Andhra Pradesh Police in a corruption case is an attempt by a "known corrupt" chief minister to hamper the party's popular campaign to oust him from power.
He further asserted that the party would welcome any other party that is willing to join the fight against the state's ruling YSR Congress Party.
In an interview with PTI, Naidu's son Lokesh, also raised concerns about the "snail's pace" of progress in several criminal cases, including in alleged misappropriation of money, lodged by central investigation agencies like the CBI and the ED against Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.
"Clearly, nothing seems to be moving. The chief minister is happily out on bail. He is now celebrating his 10th anniversary of being on bail while the CBI has filed a charge sheet for misappropriation of Rs 42,000 crore. He is probably influencing every witness possible. It does raise questions," he told PTI.
He further alleged that Reddy has grown "genuinely scared" of Naidu due to the popular response the former chief minister was getting and the crowd his own padyatra had been drawing across the state.
"Absolute power corrupt absolutely and corrupt people attack honest people. This is exactly what has happened in Andhra Pradesh. As a chief minister for 15 years and the opposition leader for 15 years, Naidu has built a squeaky clean political career in the last 42 years. Now a known corrupt CM who has 38 cases against him, out of which 10 were lodged by the CBI and seven by the ED, is trying to throw mud at him," he said.
Reddy and his party YSR Congress have in the past termed these cases as politically motivated.
Speaking on the possibility of BJP and TDP tie-up, Lokesh said that it is entirely up to the BJP and Naidu to decide, rejecting speculation that the TDP supremo has been keen on a tie-up with the ruling party at the Centre.
"Our stand is very clear. Whoever comes together with us against this fight against this tyrant administration, Jagan Mohan, we welcome," he added.
When asked if he is confident that the TDP-Jana Sena alliance will do well in polls irrespective of whether BJP joins them or not, he said, "Absolutely".
"People were just waiting for a chance to throw Jagan out of power before Naidu's arrest. Post-arrest, there is so much of anger against him. He is going to be surprised. The TDP-Jana Sena will sweep the polls," the young leader claimed.
Speaking on Naidu's arrest, Lokesh claimed, "He has committed no crime. Police have been holding press meets but have not been able to establish any money trail. Because there is no money trail."
The arrest is nothing but political vendetta, he said, asserting that he was in the national capital to put facts before people and hold consultations with party MPs about their future strategy.
Asked if he will seek any intervention from the Centre, Lokesh said, "There is genuinely a law and order problem in the state. Even BJP leaders in Andhra Pradesh have had cases slapped against them. I will leave it to the BJP to decide how they will react to the issue."