I-T raids CM Ramesh

​Hyderabad/ Kadapa: In what is being seen as yet another instance of the Centre wreaking political vengeance against the TDP, the sleuths of Income-Tax Department on Friday raided the residences of TDP MP CM Ramesh and the offices of Rithwik Projects Private Limited, promoted by his family members, in Hyderabad and Kadapa district in AP.

The officials of the Income-Tax department descended on the house and offices of Telugu Desam Party MP C M Ramesh and his family members in Hyderabad at 8 am. A team comprising nearly 30 I-T officials conducted search operations from the morning at his swanky house at Road No; 65 in Jubilee Hills and the office of Rithwik Projects on Road No: 2 in Sagar Society in Banjara Hills. The search operations were also conducted at the Ramesh brother’s house in Madhapur.

According to I-T sources, the raids were conducted following reports of the MP’s assets being disproportionate to his known sources of income and his companies. Nearly 10 members of I-T team entered the Jubilee Hills house and began searches. The sleuths took away several key documents and hard disks of the computers.

The same was the situation at Rithwik Projects Private Limited office. The I-T officials entered the Rithwik premises at 8 am and closed the gate and did not allowed any employee into the office. Later only a few people like managers and auditors of the office were allowed inside. They have also questioned some of the employees regarding the financial transactions of the company.

They seized several key documents, computers, hard disks and went through the bank accounts of the company and financial transactions through banks.

Later by taking Rithwik Projects company manager to the Allahabad bank in Banjara Hills, they searched the lockers and examined the bank accounts.

Tension prevailed for some time at Ramesh’s Jubilee Hills house when Greater Hyderabad TDP leaders and workers staged protest against the Central government for ordering I-T raids. They shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Later the police arrested them.

While this was so in Hyderabad, in a faraway village of Potladurthy in Yerraguntla mandal in Kadapa district in AP, which happens to be native village of Ramesh, the I-T officials raided his house.

The team comprising 10 members searched the premises thoroughly and took away key documents related to Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS), Gleru-Nagari Sujala Sravanthi (GNSS), Veligonda tunnel, and Rehabilitation package works of Gandikota Reservoir. Meanwhile, tension prevailed in the village with the locals and TDP activists rushing to the spot in large numbers after the news broke out.

They raised slogans against the BJP-led NDA government. The TDP activists in Proddaturu town disrupted the vehicular traffic by staging dharna in the town. When contacted by The Hans India, Ramesh said that he has paid Rs 200 crore as Income-Tax during the last 35 years.

He said that he was aware that one day he would have to face the I-T sleuths since he had increased pressure on the Centre for establishment of steel plant in Kadapa district. "I will continue my fight. There is no question of any compromise on achieving steel plant," he said. TDP general secretary and IT minister Nara Lokesh, in a tweet, said: "The Centre has begun intimidation politics by ordering I-T raids on party leaders Beeda Mastan Rao, MLA Pothula Ramarao, MPs Sujana Chowdary and now CM Ramesh. TDP leaders are being targeted for raising voice against the Centre for breaking promises made during bifurcation”.

Ramesh, who was away in Delhi, told media persons that he was challenging the BJP to prove him guilty in I-T cases if it had guts rather than intimidating the Telugus with raids. Ramesh said the I-T raids were being conducted on the TDP leaders to coerce them into silence.

Modi and Amit Shah were afraid of Chandrababu Naidu and his capability to lead the anti-BJP forces to victory in the next elections and hence the raids by the government agencies like I-T, ED and DRI and others on the TDP leaders, he said.