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Raghu Rama Krishna Raju

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Raghu Rama Krishna Raju
23rd Deputy Speaker of the
Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 November 2024
GovernorSyed Abdul Nazeer
SpeakerChintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu
Leader of the HouseNara Chandrababu Naidu
Preceded byKolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy
Member of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 June 2024
Preceded byMantena Rama Raju
ConstituencyUndi
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
2019–2024
Preceded byGokaraju Ganga Raju
Succeeded byBhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma
ConstituencyNarasapuram
Personal details
Born (1962-05-14) 14 May 1962 (age 62)
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India
Political partyTelugu Desam Party
(2018–2019)
(2024–present)
Other political
affiliations
SpouseRama Devi
Children2
ParentK .V. S. Suryanarayana Raju
ResidenceHyderabad
Alma materAndhra University
Occupation
  • Industrialist
  • politician
Source: [1]

Kanumuru Raghu Rama Krishna Raju (born 14 May 1962) is an Indian industrialist and politician who is currently serving as the 23rd Deputy speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative assembly. He is a Member of Legislative assembly (MLA) in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative assembly representing Undi assembly constituency. He previously served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the 17th Lok Sabha representing Narasapuram constituency, Andhra Pradesh. He belongs to Telugu Desam Party.[1]

Early life

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Raghu Rama Krishna Raju was born on 14 May 1962 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh to Kanumuru Venkata Satya Suryanarayana Raju and Annapoorna. He studied Master of Pharmacy at Andhra University, Visakhapatnam.[2]

Raju married Rama Devi in 1980. The couple have a son and a daughter.[2]

Political career

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Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, a politician from the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), quit the party in 2014 after failing to secure the party's nomination for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2018, he left the BJP and joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Then, in March 2024, he quit the YSRCP again and rejoined the TDP, thereby changing parties a total of 5 times in a span of 9 years.[3]

He has contested in the 2019 elections from the Narasapuram Lok Sabha constituency as a YSRCP candidate. He has won the election securing 38.11% votes polled with a majority of 31,909 votes against TDP's Vetukuri Venkata Siva Rama Raju.

Raju is an outspoken critic of his party and its chief who is ex chief minister, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.[3] The differences between them were made public in November 2019 when Raju spoke out against the Andhra Pradesh government's effort to convert Telugu medium government schools to English medium. Ever since he spoke against his party and alleged scams in several government schemes.[4]

In July 2020, YSRCP appealed to the Lok Sabha speaker to disqualify Raju from him as an MP stating Raju's anti-party activities as the reason.[5] In October 2020, Raju wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that Jaganmohan Reddy was promoting evangelism in Andhra Pradesh, in violation of the Indian constitution.[6]

He was nominated as candidate from TDP for Undi Assembly constituency for 2024 AP elections[7] and won as MLA and later on 14 November 2024 elected unopposed Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly Deputy speaker.[8]

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In March 2021, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked a case against Raju and his family members, who are directors of Ind Bharath Power Gencom Limited on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery of valuable security, using forged documents as genuine and criminal misconduct of a public servant. The case was booked on behalf of a complaint by the State Bank of India alleging that the borrowing company, its directors, and public servants conspired and committed the acts of cheating and siphoned off bank funds to the tune of ₹947 crore (equivalent to ₹11 billion or US$130 million in 2023).[9]

In April 2021, he has asked a CBI Special court to cancel the bail granted to Jagan Mohan Reddy. He alleged that the chief minister, who is on bail since 2012 on his disproportionate assets case, has violated the bail condition.[3]

On 14 May 2021, Raju was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on the charges of sedition for "disturbing communal harmony and attacking dignitaries of the Jagan Mohan Reddy government".[3] On 21 May, the Supreme Court of India has granted him bail on a ₹1 lakh (equivalent to ₹1.1 lakh or US$1,300 in 2023) bond, stating the charges against him did not require custodial interrogation and referred to his bodily injuries mentioned in the medical report prepared by Secunderabad Army Hospital doctors.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju joins TDP in presence of Chandrababu". ap7am.com. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Members : Lok Sabha - Kanumuru, Shri Raghu Ramakrishna Raju". Lok Sabha. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Apparasu, Srinivasa Rao (14 May 2021). "YSR Congress MP, who asked court to cancel bail to Jagan, arrested for sedition". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Infighting in YSRCP: Five cases filed against Andhra MP Raghurama Krishnam Raju". The News Minute. 13 July 2020. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  5. ^ "YSRC appeals to Lok Sabha speaker, seeks to disqualify rebel party MP". Hindustan Times. 3 July 2020. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  6. ^ Bandari, Pavan Kumar (28 October 2020). "Raghurama Krishnam Raju writes to PM Modi, alleges AP govt. of violating constitution". The Hans India. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  7. ^ Raghavendra, V. (28 March 2024). "Narsapuram MP Raghu Ramakrishna Raju likely to be TDP candidate from Undi Assembly constituency". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  8. ^ The Hindu (14 November 2024). "Raghu Ramakrishna Raju unanimously elected as Deputy Speaker of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly". Archived from the original on 14 November 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  9. ^ Jonathan, P. Samuel (26 March 2021). "CBI books Narsapur MP Raghu Rama Krishna Raju". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  10. ^ Rajagopal, Krishnadas (21 May 2021). "Supreme Court grants bail to rebel YSR Congress MP Raghu Ramakrishna Raju". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
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