Officials of the Income Tax (I-T) department on Tuesday evening carried out searches at a house in which DMK leader Kanimozhi is staying, sources said. She is the sister of party president MK Stalin.
“Raids are being carried out at a house Kanimozhi,” sources in the I-T department said late Tuesday evening. The searches come before all Tamil Nadu goes to polls on April 18 for 39 seats.
The DMK candidate from Thoothukudi Lok Sabha seat, Kanimozhi is the daughter of Dravidian mascot late M Karunanidhi.
Even as the house was being searched a posse of DMK supporters gathered outside and staged a demonstration raising anti-Modi slogans.
Reacting to the raids, DMK president Stalin said: “I got a message that Kanimozhi’s premises is being raided. BJP candidate Tamilisai Soundarajan’s premises has crores and crores of rupees kept there. Why no raids there? Who will take action? Modi used I-T department, Central Bureau of Investigation, Judiciary and latest in the row is Election Commission of India to interfere in the electoral process.”
Stalin said, “They are doing this because of the fear of losing.”
“This is basically murder of democracy. Rs 2000 note is being widely offered in the elections, will you report this? In Theni constituency, Rs 1000 note is being offered to voters, what about that? Tamil Nadu minister Velumani is accused of distributing money, his close aide Sabesan’s premises is raided, no one reported, no news on this,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu’s chief electoral officer said that the Income Tax (IT) department and Election Commission (EC) had recovered Rs 135.41 crore from raids conducted across Tamil Nadu till Tuesday.
Sahoo said 1022 kilograms gold and 645 kilograms of silver have been recovered in the raids which took place all over the state and are still ongoing in many areas, bringing the total value of precious metals recovered to Rs 294.38 crore.
Meanwhile voting has been cancelled in the state’s Vellore Lok Sabha constituency, in the wake of seizures of large amounts of unaccounted cash. (ANI)