Andhra Pradesh Assembly officials on Friday searched a motorbike showroom belonging to the family of former Speaker Kodela Siva Prasad Rao. The search comes two days after he admitted diverting some furniture and equipment to his house.
Following information that some of the furniture was shifted to the showroom in Guntur, the Assembly officials reached there to search, but they were prevented by the staff. Rao's lawyer also rushed there and took exception to the search.
The officials carried on their work and reportedly identified 32 chairs, four sofas, three tables, one teapoy and other items.
Rao's residence in Sattenapalli in Guntur district is also likely to be searched for the furniture and equipment.
Rao's recently admitted that while shifting Assembly furniture and equipment to Amaravati from Hyderabad in 2016, some of it was taken to his office-cum-residence in Sattenapalli. He said, "If we would have left the furniture at the Speaker's chamber in Hyderabad, maintenance may have been a problem. They may not even have been secure. Due to this, I shifted the furniture to my camp office in Sattenapalli."
"As there was elections in the state and many things after that, I had gotten busy. I got a letter from the Assembly Secretary asking about the furniture and computers. I replied, stating that I would send the electronic items and furniture back and if needed I'm even willing to pay the price of the items, as we have used them," he added.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader, who was defeated in the recent Assembly elections, also claimed that he wrote to the Legislature secretary asking him to take the furniture.