Hyderabad, Aug 7 (IANS): YSR Congress Party leader and former minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy has denied any involvement in the Madanapalle fire incident and threw a challenge to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to show evidence.

The senior leader condemned the attempts for his character assassination with baseless allegations of his involvement in the massive fire that erupted at the Revenue Division Office in Madanapalle, Annamayya district.

The fire, which broke out on the night of July 21, destroyed several important documents, including land records.

The TDP-led coalition government has ordered a thorough probe into the incident, suspecting sabotage by the YSR Congress Party.

Ramachandra Reddy told media persons at his residence in Hyderabad that he is ready to face any investigation confidently due to his clean political record and long-standing public support. He also slammed Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for his political vendetta and diversion tactics, promising to take legal action against those perpetuating false narratives.

The MLA from Punganur constituency in Chittoor district mentioned that the Chief Minister, ministers and some officials are making baseless statements, despite the absence of any evidence against him, and are continuously tarnishing his image.

Referring to the fire incident in the Madanapalle RDO office, he noted that records are available in various offices, including the MRO office, RDO office, collector's office, and even in the secretariat. He questioned the conspiracy angle when officials stated that the data had been retrieved from Madanapalle.

The senior leader said he had no fear of the investigation into the Madanapalle incident being handed over to the CBI. He pointed out his consistent electoral success, indicating the strong support and trust he has from the people. He questioned the state's lack of response to other serious incidents, such as the Godavari Pushkar stampede and various atrocities, suggesting a biased approach to handling cases.

He mentioned that a section of the media has been intensively spreading false propaganda against him for the past 15 days, with derogatory comments in TV debates, and announced that he would file cases against them.

He criticised Chief Minister Chandrababu for diverting attention from unfulfilled election promises by claiming an empty treasury, despite inheriting nearly Rs 10,000 crore compared to just Rs 100 crore when the YSRCP government was formed in 2019.