BJP ups ante, says Jagan's arrest delayed

In a shift from its stand on Monday where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had alleged that the arrest of YSR chief Jaganmohan Reddy was a political vendetta, the party on Tuesday took a more aggressive stand and said that the arrest should have happened long ago.

'There has been a delayed action in arresting Jaganmohan as the state government did not want to take action before,' said BJP spokes person Nirmala Sitharaman. Sources say the party's stand was perceived as being soft on Jagan and it seemed that the BJP was contemplating Jagan as a probable ally for the 2014 general elections in the country.

In a bid to rest speculation on Jagan's arrest and to clarify the party's position, the BJP on Tuesday said Jagan is facing serious charges of financial wrong doings. Sitharaman alleged financial malpractices occurred between 2004-09, when the Congress government was in power and the government in all probability was aware of the scam.

'There is total mess in Andhra Pradesh... the disproportionate assets' cases against Jaganmohan have been there for long. Even the court has asked what was the government doing for so long,' said Sitharaman. She alleged that the government of Andhra Pradesh has done nothing against the ministers and officers involved in the same case .

The party insisted that action should be taken against the six ministers facing graft charges, and if Jaganmohan is guilty he should also face the consequences.