Minister took nephew on Germany trip to operate his laptop

Murali Botsa’s application for a visa to the German Embassy was forwarded by the minister on his official letterhead. In a letter addressed to the Consul General of the Embassy of Germany in New Delhi on April 28—a copy of which is available with The Indian Express—Botcha had described Murali’s visit as ‘‘essential.’’ The letter reads: ‘‘On behalf of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, I am leading a delegation to Germany for discussions with the board of Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg. It is very essential that Mr Murali Krishna Botsa has also to accompany me on this trip.’’

He wrote again to the Vice Counsellor of German Embassy the very next day, described Murali as his brother and reiterated that Murali’s presence was ‘‘crucial.’’

When contacted by The Indian Express, Minister Satyanarayana promised to call back but did not. Murali said he had gone to ‘‘Frankfurt also for sightseeing and accompanied the minister wherever he went.’’ The reason: ‘‘The minister needed help to operate his laptop.’’

Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu wants Murali Botsa’s role to be probed. He said: ‘‘How can an outsider be part of an official delegation and attend official discussions? His role too needs to be thoroughly investigated.’’