Telugu Desam Party MP from Nellore parliamentary constituency Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy on Monday admitted to have helped Kaduru Chinna Appanna, former personal assistant of YSR Congress party MP and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman Y V Subba Reddy, one of the accused in the Tirumala ghee adulteration controversy.
Vemireddy, once a prominent face in the YSRCP and a former Rajya Sabha member of the party, sharply responded to YSRCP chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for dragging his name into the controversy.
At a recent press conference, Jagan sought to turn the tables on Vemireddy, saying the latter had financially supported Appanna, who was questioned in the ghee adulteration issue by the special investigation team.
Vemireddy expressed strong displeasure, asserting that Jagan had made “unnecessary and baseless comments”.
He said he had extended financial help to Appanna purely in a humanitarian capacity when the latter was facing hardship, and not due to any political association.
He pointed out that Jagan was fully aware that Appanna had been working as a PA to Subba Reddy at the time and questioned why the chief minister was now attempting to malign him.
He challenged Jagan to swear before God to prove that his statements were true.
“Jagan should also disclose as to who had requested me to help Appanna those days,” he said.
Vemireddy, widely regarded in his district for philanthropy, stated that he regularly supports several individuals every month and that Appanna happened to be one among them.
He lamented that while acts of charity are often encouraged, they sometimes result in blame and political targeting.
The MP reiterated that “only God knows the truth about what I have done and why”, adding that he was compelled to respond only because Jagan’s remarks had caused him personal hurt.