The Telugu Desam on Thursday said it will fight a legal and political battle against the Congress and YSR Congress for attempting to defame its party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu by foisting false cases on him.

Mr Naidu held discussions with senior party leaders for the second day on Thursday, on the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe allegations that Mr Naidu had amassed illegal wealth and indulged in corrupt practices.

The Telugu Desam released a list of 17 cases filed by YSR against N. Chandrababu Naidu since 1999. This was in addition to the Congress and other leaders filing cases that were dismissed by various courts.

The YSR government had also ordered 26 inquiries which also failed to prove the charges against Mr Naidu, the TD said.

The cases pertain to disproportionate assets, properties owned by Mr Naidu and his family members, his company Heritage Foods, allotment of land to NTR Trust, liquor purchases, the Emaar deal, Somasekhara Commission and allotment of land to IMG Bharata.

The former finance minister and senior politburo member Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said Mr Naidu would fight both a legal and political battle against the witch-hunt launched by the Congress through the YSR Congress led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

“All those who had supported Anna Hazare are being targeted. Even Anna Hazare faced allegations. We will fight legally and go to ‘Praja court’,” Mr Ramakrishnudu said.

Alleging conspiracy between the Congress and the YSR Congress, Mr Ramakrishnudu said the filing of the cases was done to malign and weaken Chandrababu Naidu and prevent him from mobilising non-Congress Opposition parties at the national level in the campaign against corruption.

“It’s a new drama being enacted to defame Mr Naidu. After Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy went to New Delhi, his attitude changed. His mother, Ms Vijayamma, wrote a letter seeking a CBI inquiry against Mr Naidu, which clearly indicates the Congress’s hand in the campaign,” Mr Ramakrishnudu said.

Senior TD leaders Kadiam Srihari, Mr M. Narasimhulu, and Mr S. Chandramohan Reddy alleged that the arrest of Mr Gali Janardhan Reddy has made Mr Jaganmohan Reddy jittery and he has compromised with the Congress to attack the TD.

Asked if the CBI is likely to file an FIR against Mr Naidu by Monday, Mr Ramakrishnudu said the FIR would come only after an inquiry and investigation.

Stating that Mr Naidu is the only leader capable of taking on the Congress and bringing all like-minded parties on one platform, he said the Congress is unable to take on Mr Naidu politically and was thus indulging in mud-slinging.“It is strange that Ms Vijayamma chose to file a petition against Mr Naidu now, though YSR did not do it when he was in power from 2004 to 2009,” Mr Ramakrishnudu said.