I-T raids TDP MP's properties in Hyd and Kadapa

Around sixty Income Tax sleuths carried out raids at the residence and offices of Telugu Desam Party MP C M Ramesh, a close aide of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Friday morning.

The raid began around 8 in Kadapa district. “They started searching all rooms even after I told them that my brother is away in New Delhi,” said CM Suresh, TDP MP's brother. Simultaneously, minister's Jubilee Hills residence and his business firm Ritwik Projects’ office in Hyderabad were also raided by a team at his residence in Potladurthi village of K

“The I-T raids are a part of BJP strategy to intimidate TDP leaders who are fighting against the injustice meted out to the state. Today (Friday) is the last date of the deadline I set out for the Modi government to declare construction of steel plant at Kadapa. This is what I get in return,” Ramesh told television channels in Delhi.

State I-T minister Nara Lokesh said in Amaravati that the I-T raids are nothing but a conspiracy drawn by BJP to terrorise those opposing Narendra Modi. “It is a part of operation Garuda to dislodge AP government,” he said. It is very clear that the BJP-YSRCP-Janasena combine is trying to trouble TDP which stood firmly against Modi regime, Lokesh said.

TDP’s fears are not unfounded, on September 27 the I-T department had raided Telangana Congress leader A Revanth Reddy's house in Hyderabad. Last week raids conducted at AP municipal minister P Narayana’s educational institutions, which the minister denied and then on former TDP MLA from Nellore Beeda Mastan Rao’s assets.