Cash-for-vote case: Jerusalem Mattaiah falls ill, wife blames Telangana cops

Guntur: Jerusalem Mattaiah, accused in the “cash-for-vote” case relating to the Telangana MLC election, suddenly fell ill and is taking treatment in a private hospital in Guntur district.

According to sources, Mattaiah along with wife Josephine set off to Guntur on February 20 to attend a marriage. Suddenly, his blood pressure shot up and the health condition deteriorated. His wife and other relatives sh-ifted him to a private hospital in Narasaraopeta.

Josephine claimed that her husband was “innocent” even as the Telangana police under orders from Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao registered a case against him. “The Telangana police remained silent till completion of the GHMC polls, but started harassment again by issuing a notice to Mattaiah after the elections.”

She held KCR responsible for the illness of her husband. Josephine claimed that Mattaiah had obtained orders from the High Court against his arrest in the case but the Telangana police was pressuring him to give a statement saying there was involvement of AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the “cash-for-vote” case. The police was threatening him with dire consequences if Mattaiah failed to give a statement against Mr Naidu, she alleged.

Meanwhile, TD leaders and officials are silent on Mattaiah hospitalisation and no one was allowed into the hospital to meet him.