A notice issued by the Income Tax Department to former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu is a clear message from the Bharatiya Janata Party loud and clear that there is no question of any alliance between the saffron and yellow parties.
There is also an underlying message in the I-T department notice to Naidu that the BJP is not willing to antagonise the YSR Congress party led by chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and in fact, it is ready to go to any extent to please Jagan.
If the speculations doing rounds in the political circles in Delhi, the Centre is now planning to target Naidu on the alleged land scam in Amaravati and the outer ring road irregularities.
“The Centre might also concede the request of the Jagan Mohan Reddy government for a comprehensive probe by the Enforcement Directorate into the alleged irregularities in Margadarsi Chit Funds owned by media baron and Naidu’s political guru Ch Ramoji Rao,” sources said.
The I-T Department issued the notice to Naidu a few days ago, asking why an amount of Rs 118 crore, allegedly received by him as kickbacks from some infrastructure companies, should not be treated as undisclosed income. It asked him why it should not be processed as per law.
Obviously, I-T department notice came as a big shock to Naidu, who is a master in managing the systems all over the country. It happened at a time when the TDP chief is desperately trying to bridge the gap between him and the BJP.
The notice has put the TDP in a tight spot, with Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP going all out against Chandrababu Naidu with this fresh ammo in an election year.
“Obviously, the I-T department would not have issued notices to Naidu without getting clearance from the BJP-led government at the Centre,” sources said.
It appears that the party’s central leadership sent out a message that it was not interested in having the TDP as its ally, and was in effect posturing to the YSRCP, where its preference lies. It has also given a reason to believe that the BJP is on its side and not on Naidu’s.
The BJP is suspicious that the TDP was planning to grow at the expense of the BJP by forging an alliance with it.
“The TDP wants to decimate the BJP in the name of an alliance so that it can emerge as a powerful party. How could we allow this?” a BJP leader asked.