Tax Raids At TDP Lawmaker CM Ramesh's Homes, Office End

Income Tax Department officials on Sunday ended a two-day long search at the residences and offices of TDP lawmaker CM Ramesh. The searches, which began at his premises in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Friday, concluded around noon on Sunday.

There were simultaneous searches at his company Rithwik Projects and his residences in Hyderabad and at Potladurti in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh.

During a press conference on Sunday, CM Ramesh said the IT raids were a political vendetta against him. 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.

Mr 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 refusal to accord special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Mr Ramesh said the houses of his relatives and friends were also raided. He denied reports that IT officials seized documents from his office and residence.

There have 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.