TDP leaders lambaste NDA govt

Amaravati: The TDP leaders have been reacting strongly against the BJP-led NDA government for targeted and continuous Income-Tax raids on party leaders in AP.

Party general secretary and IT Minister Nara Lokesh, in a statement on Friday said, “the Centre has begun intimidation politics with I-T raids on party leaders BeedaMastan Rao, MLA PothulaRamarao, MPs Sujana Chowdary and now CM Ramesh.

TDP leaders are being unduly targeted for raising voice against the Centre for breaking every promise made during state bifurcation”. He maintained that such type of threatening activities would only help them to become stronger.The other leaders of the party also condemned the raids and stated that it was an act of political vendetta.

Lokesh said that the BJP government has been resorting to vindictive politics in all the states, whenever elections being conducted. For instance, during by elections to RK Nagar in Tamil Nadu, the BJP government did nasty politics by using I-T raids against TTV Dinakaran. In that election, Dinakaran won with thumping majority.

When Karnataka Assembly elections held recently, Narendra Modi government conducted I-T raids on opposition party leader DK Sivakumar, which resulted in defeat of BJP in that state.

Lokesh further explained that they played same political game plan during New Delhi Assembly elections and put AamAadmi Party leaders in troubles by threatening with I-T raids. But, the Delhi people voted against BJP as they came to understand the vindictive nature of Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, he said.

During Gorakhpur byelection in Uttar Pradesh, BJP lost the Lok Sabha seat after they threatened Mayavati by misusing central government investigative agencies, like I-T, Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation.

Lokesh said that Narendra Modi and Amit Shah were trying to threaten investors coming into the state by conducting this typeof politically motivated raids on TDP leaders. Misusing I-T, ED and CBI for BJP’s political gains was nothing but discouraging industrial sector in AP.

The TDP leader claimed that Mastan Rao, Rama Rao and CM Ramesh had been doing fair business since decades and they have good track record of paying taxes properly. Still, the IT raids were taking place because of political greediness of BJP.

Lokesh explained that after TDP moved No Confidence Motion against Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha recently, Modi himself warned MPs Sujana Chowdary, GallaJayadev, KinjarapuRammohan Naidu, CM Ramesh and other leaders in Parliament. That was being reflected now through this political vendetta in AP, he added.

Minister Amaranatha Reddy said that it was part of Operation Garuda. He said that the public in the state will not tolerate such defective politics. Minister NakkaAnandababu said that central government did not ensure speedy trail of pending cases against YSRCP president YS Jaganmohan Reddy and would not recover illegally amassed wealth. But the BJP leaders were threatening TDP leaders since they questioned central government to fulfil all promises made under AP Reorganisation Act.

Rajya Sabha member Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar questioned that why did I-T department raid on opposition parties’ leaders houses only? Why not on BJP and NDA leaders’ houses? He demanded that the I-T, ED and CBI departments should concentrate on Amit Shah, Narendra Modi and other top leaders’ properties. Then only public will believe their genuineness, he said.