New Delhi:

Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s son launched an impassioned defence of the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister on Friday, telling NDTV “I should call for a civil war against the corrupt regime (of the ruling YSR Congress)”. Mr Naidu’s son, Nara Lokesh, insisted his father – a “politician without corruption allegations” – had been sent to remand “without any proof”.

Mr Naidu was arrested over an alleged Rs 371 crore scam involving the state’s skill development corporation and sent to the Rajahmundry Jail for two weeks under judicial custody. The Telugu Desam Party boss’ arrest has roiled Andhra Pradesh politics ahead of Assembly and Lok Sabha elections due next year.

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely… and corrupt people put honest people behind bars. That is exactly what is happening in Andhra Pradesh,” Mr Lokesh told NDTV in Delhi this afternoon as he emphasised his father’s “stellar record” as Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition.

READ | The Rs 371-Crore Scam That Led To Chandrababu Naidu’s Arrest: Explained

“If you read any of the remand reports it is very clear there is no money trail… because Mr Naidu has not done anything wrong. It is quite clear this is vendetta politics…” he lashed out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

In the national capital to gather support for his father, Mr Lokesh said he intends to fight accusations through every available legal option. “Justice is being delayed but justice cannot be denied.”

READ | Chandrababu Naidu To Stay In Jail, Court Rejects Wife’s “Safety” Request

“Mr Naidu has a stellar record… he has been CM for 15 years and LoP for another 15. He has an amazing track record… a politician without corruption allegations and such an honest person, without any proof is being sent to judicial remand…”

Mr Lokesh called on “all Indians to rally behind Mr Naidu”.

The Jana Sena Alliance

On Thursday actor-politician Pawan Kalyan said his Jana Sena had allied with Mr Naidu’s TDP and hit out at the Chief Minister and his government. “This is not about our (his party’s) political future… but the future of Andhra Pradesh,” he said, flanked by Mr Lokesh and TDP MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna, who is Mr Naidu’s brother-in-law.

READ | Actor-Politician Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Ties Up With Chandrababu Naidu

Mr Lokesh welcomed the alliance and pointed to the irony of the two leaders meeting in the administrative block of the Rajahmundry Jail, which was built by Mr Naidu when he was Chief Minister.

“It was unfortunate to see him there… that brought the two leaders together.”

“Pawanji was stopped from entering Andhra (he was taken into preventive custody on Sunday en route to meet Mr Naidu) and when I was doing padyatra they obstructed me. Now I think time has come to pretty much… I should call for a civil war…”

The terms of the Jana Sena-TDP alliance are unclear given the former is also a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, and the BJP and TDP don’t exactly have the best of relations.

On INDIA Support

Meanwhile, Mr Lokesh also welcomed support from the 28-member INDIA alliance, many members of which have backed Chandrababu Naidu even though the TDP is not part of the bloc.

READ | As Election Nears, INDIA Seat-Sharing In This State May Be Issue: Sources

“Support of INDIA means a lot… Mr Naidu has an amazing credibility built over not one or two days but 42 years… and it pains me that a leader with this kind of credibility, on a false allegation, is today in judicial remand,” his son said.

Hyderabad:

An anti-corruption court cited “security” as it rejected a house custody plea for jailed ex-Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who will now spend the rest of his two-week remand period in jail, unless he gets relief in the form of bail. On Tuesday Mr Naidu had been sent to judicial custody after he was arrested in connection with an alleged multi-crore scam.

The court in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada rejected arguments from Mr Naidu’s legal team and his wife, who spoke of her “worry for his safety inside jail”. “I did not see any special arrangements made for him,” she told reporters after the court refused to quash Mr Naidu’s remand order.

“I felt I left a part of me inside. They have tied him up in the building he helped construct,” she said.

Mr Naidu’s wife, Bhuvaneswari; his son, Lokesh; and his daughter-in-law, Brahmani; met the former Chief Minister at the jail in Rajahmundry, to which he was taken on Sunday. Bhuvaneswari called on workers from her husband’s Telugu Desam Party to speak out and support him.

READ | Home-Cooked Meals, Special Room For Chandrababu Naidu In Andhra Jail

“Not just TDP cadre… but the people need to stand up for Mr Naidu, who always put the welfare of the people before that of his family. I give you my word that the TDP, established by Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (who is her father), is here to stay,” she declared.

READ | Chandrababu Naidu “Non-Cooperative, Gave Vague Replies”: Andhra Cops To Court

The TDP founder, referred to by his initials – NTR – invoked Telugu pride to establish his party as a force to be reckoned with in a short period of time.

Earlier today, actor-politician Balakrishna – a party lawmaker from Hindupur and NTR’s son, said it was time for the people to “throw out” Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. “No need to be afraid of anyone. I am coming… will show them valour and strength of Telugu people.”

Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh Police’s Crime Investigation Department has sought five-day custody of Mr Naidu, arguing they need to interrogate him as the alleged is a serious economic offence and as the “prime conspirator”, Chandrababu Naidu, had “full knowledge” of events.

What Is The Skill Development Corporation Scam?

The multi-crore scam deals with money allocated to the Department of Skill Entrepreneurship and Innovation by the state, and incorporated into the 2015-16 budget.

According to the CID, inquiries revealed serious irregularities, specifically, before any expenditure by private entities, the then government provided an advance of Rs 371 crores, representing the entire 10 per cent commitment by the government.

READ | The Rs 371-Crore Scam That Led To Chandrababu Naidu’s Arrest: Explained

Most of the money advanced was diverted to shell companies through fake invoices, with no actual delivery or sale of items mentioned in invoices, officials said.

CID officials have also said senior government officials, including then chief secretary IYR Krishna Rao, made notings in related files. They had objected to the advance release of funds to Design Tech and noted that this was being done on the instructions of N Chandrababu Naidu.