It is the usual norm for political parties to be donated funds by companies and individuals, with the ruling party allocated a larger chunk. Some say these funds will be for contracts, postings, transfers etc. The YSRCP in the past made allegations against an individual for having been given a significant post and even accused him of being corrupt and that he was the benami of one particular party. However, having assumed power, the YSRCP is now providing all respects to the same person, thanks to the huge donations made by the same person.
The YSRCP has told the Election Commission of India that it got Rs 8.92 crore as donations in the year 2019-20. The highest contribution being Rs 2.50 crore by Shekhar Reddy who owns JSR Infra Developers private limited, and who also is a special invitee of the TTD. The owner of Holy Mary educational institutions Arimenda Varaprasad Reddy and Vijay Saradhi Reddy couples donated Rs 1.2 crore. While, P Shiva Kumar Reddy, a native of Gudur in Nellore, the owner of Shiva Enterprises donated Rs 1.5 crore. The individuals can give donations to any party but the discussion is regarding the donation made by Shekhar Reddy.
Shekhar Reddy of Katpadi region in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu rose from a small contractor to a big businessman. He formed companies in the name of Vaibhav Infra and JSR Infra. He has good relations with Jayalalitha, Panneerselvam and VK Sasikala. During 2014, the TDP government gave him the post of a board member in TTD, on the recommendation of DMK government in Tamil Nadu. On November 8, 2016, the note ban was implemented in the country and CBI raids were conducted on Shekhar Reddy. Shockingly! Shekhar Reddy allegedly had Rs 400 crore in his possession. This led to a major embarrassment for the TDP government, as there were allegations that Shekhar Reddy was the benami of Chandrababu. Even YS Jagan who was the opposition leader back then had uploaded a post on his Facebook handle. It was also alleged that Lokesh took Rs 100 crores from the businessman. JanaSena Chief Pawan Kalyan too had alleged the same. Following the outrage, the TDP removed him from the TTD post. However, the High Court quashed the case because of non-availability of proofs.
After coming into power, YSRCP appointed Shekhar Reddy in December 2019. The GO mentioned Shekhar Reddy as AJ Shekhar Reddy. The TTD chairman Subba Reddy said that the cases against Shekhar Reddy were not proved and he had also aspired to construct a shelter for cows with Rs 80 lakhs.
However, social media is finding fault with YSRCP for making baseless allegations against Shekhar Reddy. A debate is also on as to why the Venkateshwara devotee Shekhar Reddy donated huge funds to the ruling party.
