Requesting exemption from appearance in the Court regarding the cases filed against him, YS Jagan said it would cost the exchequer Rs 60 lakh for each of his appearances which could be saved by granting him exemption.

Reacting to this, TDP leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu in a press release said, “How can the government spend public money for a person’s appearance in court in an illegal assets case? As the cases are individual in nature and filed before Jagan became the CM, public money should not be spent and Jagan will have to attend the court every week using his own money.”

Recalling that Sibu Soren attended court when he was the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Yanamala said everyone is equal before the law.

Alleging that Jagan is trying to escape from attending the court citing wastage of public money, Yanamala said that the possibilities of influencing the witnesses related to the cases increased after Jagan became Chief Minister.

Since he is the CM, Jagan is very much justified in seeking personal exemption from having to make an appearance every week. And even though the cases might have been filed before he became CM, protocol demands that he be protected round-the-clock as long as he is the CM irrespective of other considerations.

Is Yanamala unaware of this? Did Yanamala or the TDP ever give any account of the trips made to Singapore and Davos by Naidu and officials, the expenditure incurred and the benefits that accrued to the State as a result?

Now, coming to Yanamala, this is the great man who spent Rs 3 lakh of public money on his ‘root canal’ treatment in Singapore, when he was finance minister of AP.

Through a government order numbered 1844 dated 23rd August, the entire amount was released without any objections.

What baffled the common man in the state is that the minister who is supposed to look after the finances of the state that was bogged down by several financial constraints flew all the way to the island nation for a root canal treatment which could have been performed right here within a few thousand rupees.

The clinic that performed the surgery belonged to a TDP man. And Yanamala today is lecturing on the misuse of government money. When will these guys change?

As for Jagan trying to influence the witnesses, the CBI can easily provide protection to the witnesses. Besides, will this problem be solved if Jagan makes an appearance? Can he not influence the witnesses, the other six days of the week?

So, it’s high time that the Naidu lackey called Ramakrishnudu starts speaking some sense. Or maybe, he cannot because his ‘root canal’ is causing him pain.