Mopidevi Venkataramana

Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao (born 1964, Nizampatam) is an Indian National Congress politician, who has been the Excise minister under Kiran Kumar Reddy and most recently represented the Repalle, Guntur constituency in the Andhra Pradesh Legislature. He also served as ports, infrastructure and investments minister under Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

Political Carrier:

1.)INC 1989[Lost by 56 votes] Reapalle Constituency 2.)INC 1994[Lost by 1100 votes] Reapalle Constituency 3.)INC 1999[Won as MLA] Reapalle Constituency 4.)INC 2004[Won as MLA] Reapalle Constituency 5.)INC 2009[Won as MLA] Reapalle Constituency

Mopidevi is one of the prime accused in the VANPIC industrial corridor illegal land grant case. This is one of the many instances of quid pro quo favours obtained by investing in the firms of Kadapa MP Jaganmohan Reddy, the son of erstwhile Indian National Congress Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy. Arrested in May 2012, Mopidevi is currently out on bail for 45 days for undergoing medical treatment.^[1]

Corruption charges

In February 2012, Venkata Ramana was named in a liquor bribery case.^[2]

On May 24, 2012, the CBI arrested Mopidevi after a 7 hour interrogation session. His arrest was for his role in the allotment of 13,000 acres of land in Guntur and Prakasam districts to Nimmagadda Prasad's firms, during his stint in the late YSR's cabinet. .^[3] These favours were granted in gross violation of rules - even the cabinet sanction was only for 4,000 acres^[4] - because Nimmagadda Prasad had invested about Rs. 850 crores in Y S Jaganmohan Reddy's "suitcase" companies.^[5]

Nimmagadda Prasad and IAS officer K. V. Brahmananda Reddy had already been arrested a week earlier in this case.^[6]

Mopidevi was released on bail on medical grounds on September 17, 2013.^[1]

References