IT notices to Chandrababu Naidu causes flutter in political circles of Andhra Pradesh

AMARAVATI: A report published by Hindustan Times on September 1, 2023, that the Income Tax department issued a show-cause notice to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on August 4, 2023, kicked up a storm in the political circles of Andhra Pradesh.

The IT department asked Naidu why an amount of Rs 118 crore, allegedly received by him as kickbacks from some infrastructure companies, should not be treated as “undisclosed income” and be processed as per law. The department was trailing kickbacks allegedly received by the TDP president from infra companies Shapoorji Pallonji and L&T which were contractors of the Amaravati capital city project.

The IT department rejected the objections raised by the TDP president saying that it had prima facie evidence of transfer of funds from bogus sub-contractors. The IT department got clinching evidence while searching the residence of one Manoj Vasudev Pardasany referred to as MVP in the notice. It was mentioned that MVP had agreed to have siphoned off funds through bogus contracts and work orders. The report said that the IT department issued notices to Chandrababu Naidu on August 4, 2023, under section 153 C. The IT department made it clear that the Rs 118 crore received by Chandrababu Naidu would be considered as an undisclosed income open for processing accordingly.

The investigation revealed that MVP got in touch with the TDP president in 2016 through his secretary Srinivas and through him only the party president received the kickbacks.

YSR Congress party circulated this news big-time across the state through all possible channels, while the TDP has yet to react.