Jagan Mohan Reddy's ‘voice in Delhi', who is Midhun Reddy, arrested in Andhra liquor scam probe?
With the Special Investigation Team (SIT) arresting Midhun on Saturday in connection with the alleged Andhra Pradesh liquor policy scam, the YSRCP is likely to feel the pinch of his absence in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which commences Monday.
Sources in the party said Midhun could 'withstand the game of political vendetta' as he belongs to a family with a strong political background. 'He was arrested only because he is a prominent leader and is Peddireddy's son,' the source said.
Referring to Midhun as a 'mass leader', another source said the Rajampet MP often rubs shoulders with Jagan. 'His rise has not just irked the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) but also the BJP,' the source said.
Following the YSRCP's drubbing in last year's Lok Sabha polls, where it managed to win only four of the 25 seats in Andhra Pradesh, and the exit of key leader V Vijayasai Reddy, Midhun emerged as the party's voice in the capital and was seen by many as the de facto number two in the YSRCP.
'After Vijayasai Reddy's exit, Midhun was the go-to man for young workers. He was also the party's face in Delhi. His father has been one of the TDP's biggest critics. By arresting him, the TDP wants to send a message that even Jagan's closest aides would not be spared,' a party insider said.
A mechanical engineer by qualification, Midhun went on to complete his MBA in International Business and worked at a private firm in Hyderabad before entering politics in 2014, when he first won the Rajampet seat. He has held it since.
In 2014, Midhun defeated former Andhra BJP chief Daggubati Purandeswari by over 1 lakh votes and followed it up five years later by winning the seat against the TDP's D K Sathya Prabha. Last year, he successfully contested against former CM of undivided Andhra, N Kiran Kumar Reddy, winning by more than 76,000 votes.
Midhun is accused number 4 in the alleged scam, which, according to the SIT, pertains to the liquor policy during Jagan's term between 2014 and 2019. According to the SIT, the policy was allegedly tailor-made to benefit a few local liquor brands by replacing popular liquor brands with lesser-known ones in exchange for bribes to the tune of Rs 3,200 crore.
According to the arrest notice, Midhun is a 'core conspirator (of the scam) from inception to execution, who has orchestrated policy changes and coordinated with co-accused to secure kickbacks from distilleries and suppliers'. The notice goes on to add that the 'transaction trail (between entities involved in the alleged scam) indicated the use of front or shell companies for laundering kickbacks, warranting further investigation into potential quid pro quo'.
Early into his political career in 2015, Midhun found himself at the centre of a controversy after he allegedly assaulted an Air India staffer at Tirupati airport and spent time in a Nellore jail in connection with the case.
Dismissing the allegations of 'political vendetta', the TDP claimed there was 'enough to prove Midhun's involvement in the scam'. 'The money acquired through illegal means was used to fund the YSRCP's 2024 assembly election campaign,' a source said.
However, YSRCP leaders said Midhun was in talks with several BJP leaders at the Centre over TDP 'targeting local-level workers' and was arrested as the 'TDP did not want him to be in touch with the BJP'.
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