Bhopal: Enforcement Directorate ready to tighten its noose around Congress through ex-CS

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Political atmosphere in the state has heated up after the Supreme Court turned down the advance bail of former chief secretary M Gopal Reddy. The Telangana High Court gave an advance bail to Reddy on a petition of the Enforcement Directorate.

Now that the SC has rejected the advance bail Reddy is left with no other option but to surrender to the ED. Else, he will be arrested.

Reddy’s arrest may cause trouble to the former Congress government.  He was given important assignments during the Congress rule.

He got the water resources department, the Narmada Valley Development Authority and the public relations department.

Reddy was very close to former chief minister Kamal Nath. Nath appointed Reddy as chief secretary by removing SR Mohanty just a fortnight before latter’s retirement.

Reddy is also close to many leaders of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS).

Reddy, living in Hyderabad after retirement, may be arrested by ED anytime.  If the ED tightens its noose around Reddy, the Congress in Madhya Pradesh may be in trouble.

During the tenure of Reddy, there was an advance payment scam in the state and the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) registered an FIR against him.

The name of a firm Mantena Constructions Limited, working for the Water Resources Department, has also come up in the scam.

ED has taken action against Reddy because of his links with the owner of the farm Shriniwas Raju Mantena. ED may ask for documents related to this case.

The name of Ultraviolet Printing is also linked with Reddy. A case, related to payment of Ultraviolet Printing, is pending with the MP government’s Madhyam. Ergo, Reddy’s problems may increase before the elections.

More politicians, bureaucrats may be in the soup

As ED is tightening its noose around Shriniwas Raju of Mantena Constructions Limited, the secrecy of many more politicians and bureaucrats may come to light. ED has taken action against Reddy, because Mantena showered favours on him.

According to sources, many other politicians and bureaucrats got favours from Mantena and the ED sleuths came to know of it during raids.