TDP tech advisor is whistle-blower, not thief: Chandrababu Naidu hits back at EC's charge

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Sunday said his technology advisor Hari Prasad Vemuru, whose presence in TDP's delegation to the Election Commission was objected to by the poll panel, was a whistle-blower and not a thief.

"Yesterday we met the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and showed him how EVMs were not functioning properly. He (Vemuru) was called for discussion in the fight for transparency. He is a whistle-blower. He has not committed theft," Naidu said speaking at a presser of opposition parties here on the issue of transparency in the election process.

"I know technology. I have been promoting technology in the country. We should become masters of technology and not slaves of it," he added.

In a letter to the TDP, the Election Commission on Saturday questioned how a person with criminal antecedents can be part of the delegation led by Naidu. The poll panel said Vemuru was involved in a criminal case regarding alleged theft of an EVM in 2010.

In its reply, ..