Income Tax officials carried out search operations on Friday at various locations in Tamil Nadu associated with state minister EV Velu, making him the third cabinet member in the state to come under scrutiny by central agencies.
The Income Tax Department also conducted searches at multiple places in Karur, including the residence of late DMK leader Vasuki Murugesan's sister Padma.
In response, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and state minister Udhayanidhi Stalin criticized agencies such as the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate, suggesting they have aligned with the BJP as political instruments. He assured that the matter would be addressed through legal means.
According to police sources, these searches were conducted in diverse regions across the state, encompassing Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruvannamalai, and Karur. EV Velu, a prominent DMK figure, currently serves as the Minister for Public Works in Chief Minister MK Stalin's cabinet.
How did Udhayanidhi react?
Responding to the searches, Udhayanidhi said such action by the central agencies "keeps happening no."
"This (searches) keeps happening no. There are many wings in DMK and the Congress, like the students' wing, youth wing and medical wing. Similarly, the IT and ED are the BJP's wings. They are doing their job. We will face this legally," he told reporters here.
"The activities of these wings in the last 2-3 months have been more," he added.
While TN ministers V Senthil Balaji and K Ponmudy are under the radar of the ED, Income Tax authorities conducted searches at the premises of party MP S Jagathrakshakan last month. Balaji is in prison in connection with a money laundering case.
