Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu tonight said he had ordered removal of the tainted Chennai-based businessman J Sekhar Reddy as a member of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams' Board of Trustees.
This follows alleged seizure of a staggering Rs 131 crore in cash and 127 kg of gold from Reddy's premises in Chennai by the Income Tax Department yesterday.
"Sekhar Reddy was appointed as TTD member on the recommendation of Tamil Nadu government," he said at a press conference here, seeking to deflect the criticism that the businessman was close to the Telugu Desam leadership.
Naidu claimed he reacted promptly and ordered Reddy's removal from the TTD Board following the reports of IT raids.
"It is due to the inadequacies in the system that people like Sekhar Reddy could stash away such money. I have asked Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to ensure such things do not happen," the Chief Minister said.
However, the AP government was yet to issue a formal order removing Sekhar Reddy from the TTD Board by late evening.
Reddy was appointed as TTD member in May 2015.
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