I-T raids in AP startle political circles

A Friday morning raid by Income Tax sleuths at several locations across Andhra Pradesh, including educational institutions of State Municipal Minister P Narayana, has shaken people in political circles.

The searches are seen as a continuation of a political vendetta allegedly unleashed by the BJP against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and his close associates.

An IT team arrived at Narayana College located near Benz Circle in Vijayawada, but Minister P Narayana when contacted said that there were no IT raids at his institutions or his residences in Nellore and Hyderabad.

Police confirmed, however, that searches are going on at former Kavali legislator B Mastan Rao’s properties. There were also simultaneous raids in Guntur, Nellore, Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam.

Sources say that several IT teams have raided offices of real estate and cement manufacturing units, such as Southern Constructions and VS Logistics. Several cement units near Jaggaiahpet on the AP-Telangana borders were also under the IT scanner.

TDP leaders in Amaravati have said that the raids were expected after recent searches by the IT Dept. and Enforcement Directorate at properties of former TDP leader A Revanth Reddy.

“The state BJP unit has been boasting about these raids in recent days," a TDP leader from Coastal AP observed. "IT has been used to take political vengeance during PM Modi’s regime.”