Hyderabad: Hours before Congress’ Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy completed filing his nomination papers in Palair by submitting his affidavits, income tax (I-T) officials descended on his residence in Khammam, office in Palair and at Raghava Constructions in Hyderabad over alleged illegal cash transactions.
He was allowed to file his papers only after a protest.
The raids started at around 3 am on Thursday, at Reddy’s residence in Venkatpuram of Kalluru mandal in Khammam district.
I-T teams verified documents and bank accounts used by the politician to make transactions, focusing on digital payments made by him and his family members. I-T officials snatched phones from the family and sought details of their I-T returnss.
Reddy lodged a complaint with the district electoral officer claiming the central agencies were deliberately timing their raids prevent him from filing his papers. Following this, he was granted permission for two hours to file his papers. The situation turned tense with hundreds of his followers and party activists raiseing slogans against the BJP and the BRS.
Reddy said that I-T officials were raiding only Congress candidates over the past few days. “No I-T raids were done on BJP and BRS leaders,” he said. He later filed his papers and returned home, as per the directions issued.
