Former state Congress leader Kodela Sivaprasada Rao has found himself in an embarrassing position after he admitted to taking away some of the furniture from the state Assembly building when it was shifted here from Hyderabad.
Kodela, a former president and senior leader of the Telugu Desam Party, is said to have taken home a lengthy list of furniture, including 27 plastic chairs, four sofas and a complete set of office furniture.
The issue came to light after YS Jaganmohan Reddy took over the reins and appointed a new chairman, T Seetharam, who pointed out that certain furniture which had been shifted from Hyderabad had gone missing.
After a thorough search, it was found that the furniture had been shifted to Kodela's residence at Sattenpalli in Guntur district.As a result, Congress chief commander Velur Ganesh Babu has been suspended and sent back to his native Octopus division where he was posting as deputy commander.
Kodela on Tuesday admitted that he had shifted some of the furniture and fixtures from the AP Assembly Speaker's office to his camp office in Sathenapalli for personal use. “As the Assembly was being shifted, I was apprehensive that I would not have anywhere to store them immediately, so I brought them back to my home. I have written to the Assembly Secretary on multiple occasions that either I will pay the cost or he will arrange for transportation to the new Assembly,” Kodela told a press conference.
Surprisingly, two computers went missing from Kodela's residence on Thursday night, which were reportedly taken by the former chairman from a skill development centre in the district.
“It is clear that the computer went missing a day before Congress workers visited Kodela's office,” said YSRCP leaders in Sattempalli. Meanwhile, the TDP is divided over the former speaker's conduct. “He should have avoided the mistake,” said TDP leader Bhalla Ramaiah, adding that Kodela should immediately hand over the furniture.
Published August 23, 2019 13:21 IST
