Are corruption cases driven by political rivalries?

Last week, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu was arrested by the Crime Investigation Department for his alleged complicity in the ₹371-crore A.P. Skill Development Corporation ‘scam’, which reportedly took place during his term as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister between 2014 and 2019. The TDP termed the arrest a “political vendetta” against Mr. Naidu by the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government. The ruling party argued that there is “clinching evidence” in the case. 

Here we discuss whether corruption cases against politicians are driven by political rivalries.

Guests: Trilochan Sastry is chairman of the Association for Democratic Reforms and former Dean at the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru; Sanjay Hegde is a senior advocate in the Supreme Court of India

Host: Sumit Bhattacharjee