Seeing a conspiracy by the ruling TDP behind the knife attack on YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, former MP Y.V. Subba Reddy on Sunday said a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would reveal the truth. Finding fault with the State government for projecting the Centre’s decision as a violation of the spirit of cooperative federalism, Mr. Subba Reddy he told the media here that “we do not have faith in the SIT probe.”

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was making a hue and cry as he was afraid that the TDP workers would be hauled up by the NIA, he said.

‘Political gimmick’

Stating that increasing the social security pension by the State government was, in fact, one of the ‘Navaratna’ promises made by the YSRCP to the people, Mr. Subba Reddy said the CM’s announcement before the elections was only aimed at gaining electoral mileage.

Reiterating that the party would fight the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections on its own strength, he expressed the confidence that the party would win 110 to 120 of the 175 Assembly seats and 20 of the 25 LS seats from the State.

It was the YSRCP that had been consistently fighting for the Special Category Status (SCS) and for implementation of promises made at the time of bifurcation, he said.

Replying to a question, he said there was no question of allowing those who had crossed over to the TDP into the party again.

He further said that D. Purandeswari, who was Union Minister in the UPA government and is now with the BJP, was welcome to join the YSRCP.

In Vizianagaram, party political coordinator for the district Majji Srinivasa Rao, who was present in the Visakhapatnam airport at the time of the attack on the party president, told the media that the Centre was the competent authority to probe the issue.