Ahead of vice-presidential election, Cong fires corruption charges at Naidu
What's the story
Ahead of the vice-presidential elections on August 5, the Congress has accused BJP candidate Venkaiah Naidu and his children of corruption.
The Naidu family allegedly took favors from Madhya Pradesh and Telangana and "grabbed land" illegally.
Party leader Jairam Ramesh urged the "champion of transparency, accountability, integrity and probity" to come clean.
In response, Naidu dismissed the complaints as "politically motivated".
Information
Naidu a clear favorite to win the polls
Naidu was declared the NDA's vice-presidential candidate last week. Afterwards, he resigned from the information and broadcasting as well as urban development ministries. He also quit the BJP to fight the election against opposition candidate Gopal Krishna Gandhi.
Charges
Ramesh accuses Naidu of land grabbing, manipulating tender
Ramesh accused Naidu of manipulating tax exemption worth Rs. 2cr for his daughter's Swarna Bharat Trust.
The Telengana government allegedly approved a deal worth Rs. 271cr for procuring police vehicles from companies owned by Naidu's son and the son of the CM, in blatant violation of rules and "without even floating a tender".
He also accused Naidu of grabbing land in Andhra reserved for the poor.
Quote
Naidu dismisses allegations as "politically motivated"
Meanwhile, Naidu dismissed the claims as "politically motivated". "It is evident that these issues have been referred to a few days before the vice-presidential elections, clearly reflecting on the political motive and mischievous intentions," he said.