CHENNAI: Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar’s father Chinnathambi rejected the allegations made by Income Tax department that he had received cash from various persons to get them government jobs and transfers.
This comes in the wake of a report submitted by the Income Tax department to the State government over alleged irregularities in mining and seizure of unaccounted cash from the Health Minister’s home in Pudukottai, accessed by the media.
The report alleged that according to a sworn statement recorded from Chinnathambi, of the Rs 20 lakh recovered from the minister’s residence at Ilupur in Pudukottai, Rs 12,96,000 was found in brown covers with names of candidates written on each cover with regard to job in nutrition meal scheme. However, the allegation has been denied by the Health Minister and his father Chinnathambi in a statement said that political rivals were spreading rumours and causing mental stress to the family. “We have been cooperating with Income Tax and will face these alleged insinuations both legally and politically,” he added.
Denying the allegations, the Minister said the raids happened one-and-a-half year ago. There was no seizure of cash by the Income Tax department. “And we have been cooperating with Income Tax officials. We will be legally taking up this case,” the minister said.
The Income Tax report also alleged that during search and seizure proceedings conducted at the premises of J Srinivasan, personal assistant to the Health Minister at Vasantham Flats in New Betaniya Nagar in Valasaravakkam, two incriminating documents containing data-wise noting of fund collection and its application was recovered from e-mail janakiramanseenu@gmail.com (operated by J Srinivasan).
Similarly the Income Tax department alleged that it perused through collections made to various persons and entities from July 23, 2015 to November 9, 2016 which are worth more than Rs 20.75 crore. Srinivasan could not be contacted.
Basker should step down: DMK
Chennai: DMK president MK Stalin on Saturday demanded that Health Minister C Vijaya Basker immediately step down following his father’s reported submission before the IT department that he had collected the bribe meant for the minister. “If Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami refuses to drop Vijaya Basker, then Governor Banwarilal Purohit should dismiss the minister immediately,” Stalin said in a statement here.