Income-Tax Department has raided the home and offices of Telangana State Congress working president A Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad and his hometown Kodangal in Mahbubnagar district on Thursday morning. They also raided and searched the houses of his relatives and friends in Kodangal.
Income-tax officials raided and searched the office of Bhupal Infra, the company owned by Revanth Reddy and his family in Jubilee Hills area of Hyderabad. The raids which continued for several hours were carried on a day when Revanth Reddy was scheduled to launch his statewide election campaign from Vikarabad district.
According to the sources in IT department the raids were carried out after an advocate Rama Rao lodged a complaint of money laundering with the Enforcement Directorate against Revanth Reddy and his family. Earlier the same lawyer lodged a complaint with the Hyderabad police that Revanth Reddy had committed fraud and irregularities in Jubilee Hills Housing Society.
No family member was at home in Hyderabad when 11-member team of IT officials reached the place. When the servants refused to open the locks without permission from Revanth Reddy, the IT team broke open the locks and started searching the place. They also raided and searched the house of his associate Sebastian.
Revanth Reddy, who was appointed as one of the working presidents of Telangana Congress only a couple of days back had recently expressed apprehensions that the Income Tax may raid his real estate company as part of a conspiracy by the centre and the State Government to disrupt his plans of campaigning for the forthcoming state assembly elections.
Revanth Reddy, who had returned to Kodangal from a pilgrimage to Tirupati was unruffled by the raids and launched his campaign as per schedule from Madanapally village under Bomrasapet mandla of Viqarabad district and addressed a series of meetings in Mahubnagar district. He was given a rousing reception by his supporters in his Kodangal constituency and other places enroute.
Revanth Reddy is already an accused in cash for vote scam and facing the charges of offering a bribe of Rs 5 crore to a nominated legislator to vote for TDP candidate in legislative council elections three years ago. He was in Telugu Desam party at the time. He was arrested by the Anti Corruption Bureau in the case and had to spend sometime in jail before the court released him on bail.
The raids have sparked off a major political row with the Congress and TDP have strongly condemning the action and calling it “vindictive” and politically motivated. Recently a senior Congress leader and former MLA T Jagga Reddy was arrested in connection with a ten year old case of alleged human trafficking and court released him on bail.
Telangana state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the raids on the house of Revant Reddy was “pure vendetta” to demoralise the strong Congress MLAs. Holding the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao responsible for the raids , he said, “tirst it was Jagga Reddy and now Revanth Reddy. This is a clear sign of KCR’s cowardice. He has no capacity to take on any our our leaders and hence resorts to these backdoor moves”. He expressed confidence that the people of Telangana will reach KCR a lesson for being hand in glove with the BJP and Central Government. “Congress will be united in its fight to ride Telangana soon of his autocratic and whimsical rule”,
he said.
State Telugu Desam president L Ramanna said, “as TRS and the BJP were not able to face their opponents politically they have entered into a conspiracy to target them and threaten them by foisting false cases and carrying out such raids”. He said that the court notice to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was also part of these efforts but they will not succeed in demoralizing the opposition leaders.