4 TDP MPs join BJP, submit proposal of merger of party to RS chairman
New Delhi, Jun 20: In a boost to the BJP, four of the six TDP MPs in the Rajya Sabha joined the party on Thursday and sought merger of the TDP Legislature Party with it in the Upper House.
In a day of fast-paced developments, the four MPs led by their Rajya Sabha leader Y S Chowdary- long seen a trusted aide of Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu- passed a resolution to this effect, followed by a nod to the proposal by BJP president Amit Shah.
The breakaway TDP faction, which includes C M Ramesh, Garikapati Mohan Rao and T G Venkatesh besides Chowdary, and BJP leaders, including its working president J P Nadda, met Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and urging him to approve the merger.
The development is a big blow to Chandrababu Naidu, coming close on the heels of his party's humiliating defeat in the recent Lok Sabha and assembly polls.
The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister is vacationing in Europe as the fresh crisis hit his party. He spoke to his party leaders over phone as they sought to put up a brave front, saying that such troubles are not new to the organisation.
Making the announcement at the BJP headquarters, Nadda told reporters that the decision of TDP MPs, three of whom were present, to join the party is due to their belief in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda of development and inclusiveness.
Nadda was joined by the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha Thaawarchand Gehlot and senior party functionary Bhupender Yadav as the saffron party welcomed the Andhra leaders into its fold.
Due to a fractured leg, Rao could not attend the joining ceremony, said Yadav.
Their induction will strengthen the party in the state, Nadda said.
Speaking to reporters, Chowdary, a minister in the first Modi government before the TDP walked out of the BJP-led NDA, the state's development can be achieved by cooperation and not confrontation, in an apparent dig at TDP chief Naidu, who has been at loggerheads with the central government over implementation of the AP Reorganisation Act.
"The mood of the nation is clearly shown in the results of the Lok Sabha elections. We decided that we should join in this exercise of building our great nation," he said.
Incidentally, Income Tax department had raided residential and official premises of Chowdary and Ramesh last year over allegations of tax evasion and money laundering. Both had then claimed innocence.
Earlier in their letter to RS Chairman Naidu, the party MPs said the Legislature Party of Telugu Desam in Rajya Sabha met under the leadership of Chowdary and Legislature party's deputy leader Ramesh.
"Inspired and encouraged by the impeccable leadership of Shri Narendra Modi ji and the developmental policies being pursued by him in the overall interest of the nation, we have decided to merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with immediate effect under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution of India," they said.
The TDP leaders said that after considerable deliberations, it has been resolved to merge the Legislature Party of the TDP with the BJP with immediate effect.
The TDP Legislature party also wrote to Shah to accept the merger and convey his acceptance through a resolution to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The merger will give a boost to the saffron party in the Upper House as the ruling NDA does not have a majority there.
The TDP has three members in the Lok Sabha.
The Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members and the BJP is the single largest party with 71 MPs.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
