Cash-for-vote: Mathaiah confesses to ED role of Naidu, Revanth
. Mathaiah informed the ED officials that he struck a deal with nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson to vote in favour of the TDP MLC candidate Vem Narender Reddy during the MLC elections in 2015.
Hyderabad: Jerusalem Mathaiah, one of the accused in the cash-for-vote scam, has confessed before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) about the role of former Chief Minister and TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu in the case. The ED recorded the statement of Mathaiah when he appeared before it a few days ago in response to the summons issued to him. Mathaiah informed the ED officials that he struck a deal with nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson to vote in favour of the TDP MLC candidate Vem Narender Reddy during the MLC elections in 2015.
“I was offered Rs 50 lakh for striking the deal with the MLA,” he said. Mathaiah also disclosed that he agreed to talk with Stephenson at the behest of Chandrababu Naidu and the then TDP leader A Revanth Reddy, who is presently the working president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC). Mathaiah said both Naidu and Revanth Reddy asked him to meet Stephenson and convince him to cast his vote in cross-voting in favour of the TDP candidate. “When I opposed and informed them it was unconstitutional, Revanth Reddy informed me that this practice was common for politicians,” he said.
The two leaders informed Mathaiah that if Stephenson extends support to the TDP candidate, he would get Rs 5 crore and if he abstains from voting, he would get Rs 3 crore. “Revanth Reddy told me that I will get Rs 50 lakh as goodwill,” Mathaiah said. After getting assurance from Stephenson, Mathaiah later contacted Harry Sebastian, a Christian Cell in-charge of TDP and informed him about the work given by Naidu and Revanth Reddy and urged him to inform the same to them.
Sebastian informed Mathaiah that Naidu also spoke to Stephenson on the matter. The TDP leaders also prepared to pay Rs 50 lakh as advance to Stephenson with the help of Narender Reddy, Revanth Reddy and his close aide Udaysimha. Later, he came to know that Revanth Reddy and others were arrested in the case. Mathaiah informed the ED officials he met Naidu in May/June 2015 during Mahanadu meeting during which he and Revanth Reddy asked him to convince Stephenson for cross voting to support the TDP candidate.
Mathaiah said Stephenson was the chief guest at an awareness meeting conducted by him in the last week of May 2015 at Basheerbagh Press Club.
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