Chennai: DMK Treasurer Duraimurugan alleged the recent IT raids were an attempt of personal vengeance to bring disgrace to the opposition party by the Centre and State governments.
The raids were conducted at his son Kadir Anand’s residences and college. He is contesting the Vellore Lok Sabha seat for the coming elections.
In a statement here, he said winning or losing an election and having differences of opinion between political parties were only common. “But what stands out today is the ruling party’s attempts to wreak personal vengeance in order to bring disgrace to the opponent,” Duraimurugan alleged.
He further claimed that nothing illegal was found in the raids and that they were being closely monitored even after the raid. Duraimurugan further claimed that he had been receiving information that attempts would be made to frame them to spoil Kadir Anand’s chances in the coming general polls. He further termed the raids as not only anti-democratic but fascist.
On 30 March, Income Tax sleuths had conducted searches at the premises of Duraimurugan in Vellore district over suspected use of unaccounted money for electioneering and seized Rs 10.50 lakh of alleged excess cash. Two days later, the Income Tax officials raided several places in Vellore district and seized Rs 11.53 crore cash from a cement godown belonging to a DMK leader’s associate, triggering speculations that the poll in the constituency could be postponed.
It was reported that on 1 Apri, cash stuffed in cartons and gunny bags for ward and division-wise distribution was unearthed by the department’s investigation wing officials.
DMK president M K Stalin had condemned the I-T searches and alleged it was a misuse of powers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He had demanded measures to bring departments like the Income tax, the Enforcement Directorate and CBI under the ambit of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the run up to the general elections.