Chennai: The Income Tax department’s searches are “intimidatory tactics” aimed at the DMK as the party is exposing BJP’s “anti-people” attitude, Chief Minister and ruling DMK President M K Stalin said here on Sunday.
The BJP-led Centre is “daydreaming about intimidating the party” through I-T raids, but the DMK is not a party that is afraid of such tricks, he said.
The saffron party subdued the main opposition AIADMK through such tax-related searches, he said, adding that the ruling dispensation at the Centre cannot, however, browbeat the DMK.
As the Chief Minister is being treated for viral flu, his address at a party event was read out by his son and Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.
The CM’s remark comes days after income tax sleuths carried out searches on properties linked to Tamil Nadu Public Works Minister and senior party leader E V Velu. Recently, I-T searches were also conducted on properties connected to DMK MP S Jagathrakshakan.
“The DMK (along with other constituents of the INDIA bloc) is exposing the anti-people characteristic of the BJP and that is why the BJP has taken steps to intimidate the opposition parties, and that is why the income tax raids are happening,” Stalin alleged.
For about 75 years, the DMK has stood up to such tactics and has succeeded, he said, expressing confidence that it would triumph in the future as well.
As regards the Income Tax department and the Enforcement Directorate, Stalin commented that only states ruled by the opposition parties are “visible” to them. In BJP-ruled states, officials of such agencies do not even step out of their offices, he quipped.
The chief minister said the tax department has been carrying out searches on properties associated with his party leaders, one after the other, with Minister Velu being its latest target, The Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate are ‘allies’ of the BJP, meant for political vendetta, Stalin said, pointing out that the conviction rate in ED cases is not even one per cent.
“That is why I say the upcoming Lok Sabha polls are very important. Our victory should be massive.”
Notwithstanding the nature of ties between the AIADMK and the BJP, be it open or secretive, he said, they should not ‘get back even their deposits,’ in the Lok Sabha polls to be held next year.
The DMK chief reiterated his accusation that the claim of AIADMK that it has snapped ties with the BJP is only a “drama” and that both these parties must be exposed.
Stalin’s address was to an event held by the DMK at Tiruvallur near here for its booth (polling station) agents of the northern Chennai zone.
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