The opposition Telugu Desam mounted a vitriolic attack on minister Gummanuru Jayaram alleging that his son Gummanuru Eshwar was gifted with an expensive Mercedes Benz Car by an accused in the ESI scam. TDP has demanded Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to sack his Labour Minister for being hand in glove with the accused in the ESI scam.
Faced with an embarrassing situation, the minister wanted to clear the air about the allegations levelled against him and his son through a press conference. The minister’s intention to explain and clear the air was good, but his attempt proved to be a boon for TDP leaders as the minister ended up strengthening the allegations made against him.
The minister asked if his son gets himself photographed standing beside a helicopter or a plane, “Will you say they are also mine?”
Not stopping there, he said that his son has lakhs of fans following him on his Facebook page. If he (minister’s son) takes the key of a car from one of his ‘fans’, will that car be ours, he asked?
Going an extra step, he also challenged the former minister and TDP senior leader Ayyanna Patrudu and other leaders, to check the name on which the car has been registered. In his hurry to explain and prove his innocence, the minister ended up confirming TDP’s allegations.
The opposition TDP alleged that Telukapalli Karthik, accused number 14 in the ESI scam, is the front man of the minister, and that Karthik ‘gifted’ the expensive car to minister’s son Eswar on his birthday. The car may be kept under wraps for some time, but several videos taken by Eswar having a gala time with the car has surfaced on social media, much to the embarrassment of the Minister and YSR Congress party.