One does not know what the Income Tax authorities had found during their three-day raids on the residences and offices of Telugu Desam Party’s Rajya Sabha member C M Ramesh that concluded on Sunday, but they are understood to have certainly triggered panic among several other TDP leaders.
The discussion that has been going on in the media circles is who would be the next target of the Income Tax authorities in Andhra Pradesh.
Several TDP leaders, including ministers and MLAs having business links, have already taken enough precautions so that nothing would come out in the event of any raids.
But sources say the I-T authorities have already prepared a list of leaders they are going to target and have gathered enough evidences.
However, they have kept it as a secret as to who they would attack next. Apparently, they are targeting those who would matter most in the ensuing elections.
In fact, nobody had expected that the IT authorities would raid the business houses of Beeda Mastan Rao, as he maintains a very low profile politically.
It is learnt the IT authorities were planning to raid the institutions and companies of senior TDP MLC and GITAM University founder M V V S Murthy, but before they could do it, he died in a road accident in the United States a few days ago.
Now, there is a talk that the next target could be Minister for Higher Education Ganta Srinivasa Rao, who owns several institutions and industries including shipping and infrastructure companies.
The IT authorities are also said to be planning raids on the TDP leaders involved in mining of sand and other minerals, including Gurajala MLA Y Srinivasa Rao.
Watch out for more developments on this front!