The Andhra Pradesh police carried out searches at the premises of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP CM Ramesh at Potladurti in the state’s Kadapa district on Friday. Ramesh is a Rajya Sabha member and is considered close to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Speaking to local media outlets, Ramesh said that a large police team arrived at his house at around 6 am on Friday. He said that no seizures took place from his residence while alleging that political motives were behind the move.
“They said they had orders from above. The police are presently under the control of the Election Commission as the model code of conduct is in place. Anyway, the police are doing their duty but we can’t rule out the interference of the YSRCP and its chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The EC is under the control of Narendra Modi and Jagan. That’s why they are only targeting TDP leaders,” Ramesh alleged.
The TDP is upset with the move and has called for protests to be held across the state.
Just days earlier, when I-T officials conducted searches at the house of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Trust Board Chairman Putta Sudhakar Yadav in Proddatur in Kadapa district, Ramesh rushed to the spot and questioned the intention behind the move. He demanded that the officers reveal their findings publicly in front of the media.
This is also not the first search to be carried out at Ramesh’s residence. In October last year, I-T officials conducted a two-day long search at Ramesh’s residences and offices, including the MP’s company Rithwik Projects in Hyderabad. Simultaneous searches were also conducted at his residences in Hyderabad and Andhra.
At the time as well, raids were also reportedly conducted on TDP leader and industrialist Beeda Masthan Rao and Andhra Pradesh Minister K Narayana.
Chandrababu Naidu has repeatedly stated that the I-T raids and searches on TDP leaders were taking place at the behest of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre.
Elections to the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state are scheduled to be held on April 11.