Hyderabad: The income-tax department, Enforcement Directorate, Registrar of Companies and other agencies kept defaulters on the run during the year.
As the raids became intense just ahead of the Telangana State elections and Telugu Desam MPs and MLAs became the focus of investigations, the party alleged it was being targeted.
In AP, the TD government withdrew permission to the CBI to investigate after raids by the agency.
Raids were mounted against TD leaders, including TD Rajya Sabha members C.M. Ramesh, a confident of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, legislator Pothula Rama Rao from Prakasam district and MLA Beeda Masthan Rao in Nellore.
The tax sleuths also raided the Narayana group of educational institutions run by AP minister K. Narayana.
Another Telugu Desam leader got into trouble with the Enforcement Directorate.
The agency dug up a 10-year-old case against Y.S. Chowdary, former union minister and chairman of the Sujana Group.
The ED alleged that he had defrauded banks to the tune of Rs 5,700 crore and pumped it into 120 shell companies.
TS Congress working president A. Revanth Reddy was raided before the elections.
His ‘cash for vote’ case was also dug up during the tax raids.
TRS leaders came under the scanner.
TRS MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy was investigated for a default of Rs 60 crore and I-T sleuths searched the house of TRS Kodangal candidate Patnam Narender Reddy.
