IT raids on Telangana Congress leader spark huge political row
Revanth, an accused in a Rs50m cash-for-vote scandal, was to launch poll drive yesterday
Income Tax department raided the home and offices of Telangana State Congress Working President A Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad and his hometown Kodangal in Mahbubnagar district yesterday morning. They also raided houses of his relatives and friends in Kodangal.
Income tax officials raided and searched the office of Bhupal Infra, the company owned by Reddy and his family in Jubilee Hills area of Hyderabad. The raids which continued for several hours were carried on a day when Reddy was scheduled to launch his statewide election campaign from Vikarabad district. According to IT department sources, the raids were carried out after an advocate Rama Rao lodged a complaint of money laundering with the Enforcement Directorate against Reddy and his family and a complaint with the Hyderabad police that Reddy had committed fraud and irregularities in Jubilee Hills Housing Society. Revanth Reddy is already an accused in cash-for-vote scam and facing the charges of offering a bribe of Rs50 million (Dh2.53 million) to a legislator to vote for TDP candidate in legislative council elections three years ago.
Reddy, who was appointed as one of the working presidents of Telangana Congress only a couple of days back had recently expressed apprehension the Income Tax department 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. The raids have sparked off a major political row with the Congress and TDP 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 the court released him on bail.