Evangelist claims Reddy had sought $5 million

Hyderabad: A Christian evangelist on Friday alleged that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had demanded $5 million for party funds in December 2003 even as the later denied the allegations as ‘wild’ and ‘baseless’.

K A Paul, chairman of the Global Peace Initiative (GPI), told newspersons that Reddy had sought the money from him and promised to help GPI go overseas.

He alleged that the Chief Minister, accompanied by senior Congress leader Botsa Satyanarayana, now a state minister, approached him in December 2003 seeking funds for 2004 elections. He claimed that he had declined to pay the money.

Paul alleged that he was facing threat to his life as Reddy bore grudge against him for refusing to give money. “Now my life is under threat from Dr Reddy,” he said.

However, Reddy told a news conference on Friday that he did visit the orphanage run by Paul’s brother on his invitation in December 2003. “But I never asked for money. When Dr Paul wanted that All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Sonia Gandhi be invited to the orphanage, I spoke to her but she did not evince any interest,” said Reddy.

The Chief Minister said that Paul was friend of Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu. “I don’t know why he is making such wild and baseless allegations,” he said.