IT searches end at TDP MP's premises

Income Tax Department officials on Sunday ended a two-day long searches at the residences and offices of TDP MP C.M. Ramesh.

The searches, which began at the premises in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Friday, concluded around Sunday noon.

For over 50 hours, the IT officials conducted searches at the premises including Ramesh's company Rithwik Projects in Hyderabad.

Simultaneous searches were also conducted at his residences in Hyderabad and at Potladurti in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh.

Ramesh is a member of Rajya Sabha belonging to Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and considered close to Chief Minister and TDP President N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Ramesh told a news conference on Sunday that the IT raids were conducted at the instance of Narendra Modi government due to political vendetta.

He claimed that one IT official told him that the raids were conducted because he was taking on the ruling party at the Centre.

"An official told me to convey to your boss that this will be the result of working against the ruling party," he said.

Ramesh also claimed to have recorded the conversation with the IT official.

The TDP had pulled out of the BJP-led NDA government in March this year over the latter's refusal to accord special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

The MP said the houses of his relatives and friends were also raided. He denied reports that IT officials seized documents from his office and residence. He said they seized Rs 3.53 lakh cash which was kept in house.

There has been a series of IT raids on TDP leaders in the last few days. Searches were conducted at the houses and offices of TDP leader and industrialist Beeda Masthan Rao in Andhra Pradesh on October 5.

Earlier, there were also reports of IT raids on Narayana group of educational institutions run by TDP leader and Andhra Pradesh Minister K. Narayana. He denied the reports.

IT officials also raided the premises of former TDP leader Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad last week. Revanth, who was once a close aide of Naidu, is currently the working President of Congress Telangana unit.

--IANS

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