TDP angry over jugular on Volkswagen

HYDERABAD: With the Volkswagen car project now looking doubtful about coming to the state, the knives are out for major industries minister Botcha Satyanarayana, who crowed about the deal before the car major formally declared its interest. The TDP has gone for the minister’s jugular by questioning the inclusion of his brother Botcha Muralikrishna in the official delegation that went to Wolfsburg, Germany to negotiate with the car major earlier this year.Murali Krishna does not hold any official position.
Furnishing letters written by the minister to the German embassy seeking a visa for his brother—whose “services are essential’’— TDP leader S Venugopalachari said at a press conference on Sunday that considerations other than industrial development seemed to have weighed with Satyanarayana.
The TDP said Muralikrishna participated in the talks with Volkswagen, but the minister denied the charge as baseless. Satyanarayana confirmed that he had taken his brother along for the talks but claimed to have paid for his expenses. Talking to The Times of India on Sunday, he said, "Yes, he went to Germany with me. I wanted him to assist me, so I took him. What’s wrong with that? It’s well within the rules."
He added, "I’m going to Dubai with the chief minister soon and I’ll take my wife with me."
Asked why he had written letters to the German embassy stating that Muralikrishna’s services were "essential", Satyanarayana said there had been a problem in getting a visa for his brother. Hence, he had to write to the embassy, which was no violation of rules. Asked what role his brother played in the negotiations, the minister said, "He assisted me. He did not participate in the talks as is being alleged by the TDP."
Venugopalachari said the government owed an explanation to the people why the car-maker has developed cold feet about setting up a plant in the state. Instead of involving senior officers who had participated in the earlier discussions with the company, the government permitted the minister to have his way and let him mess up the project, he alleged.
Officers like K V Rao, B P Acharya, and S V Prasad who had dealt with Volkswagen board members earlier were sidelined and Satyanarayana’s brother was allowed to have a role in the process. The deal began to slip away thereafter, he said.