TIRUVANNAMALAI: The raids conducted by the Income Tax (I-T) department at the premises of the DMK's Tiruvannamalai candidate EV Velu were wound up on Friday.
The former minister blamed the BJP for the raids, which he claimed were carried out to increase the victory prospects of the saffron party’s candidate in Tiruvannamalai and cripple him from going about with electioneering activities.
The I-T team swooped down on the premises of Velu in Tiruvannamalai town on Thursday even as he was participating at an election campaign meeting addressed by DMK chief MK Stalin.
As many as ten premises, including educational institutions, residences and a guest house, belonging to Velu, who is seeking the mandate in Tiruvannamalai segment, were searched by the I-T men.
The guest house, where Stalin was staying, was also scanned by the team.
Two places in Chennai, including Velu’s house in Alwarpet, and five places, including a finance firm located at Karur, were also scanned by the I-T men, sources said.
The sleuths wound up the raids in Tiruvannamalai at 5 pm on Friday. As many 110 staffers of the I-T department were involved in the raids.
Reacting to the two-day raids, Velu said nothing was seized from his premises during the raids.
“They found nothing, no cash. They can seize only if money is stashed, isn’t it? There was nothing,” he said.
The DMK district secretary blamed the BJP for unleashing the I-T with a political motive. “The aim of the BJP is to diminish my victory chances and increase the prospects of their candidate who is contesting against me. It was done out of fear of defeat,” he said.
“The raids were conducted to completely cripple my electioneering activities and make me confined. I could not go out and carry out scheduled election campaigns in the last two days,” he told reporters.
Saying that he has been visiting two Assembly constituencies in neighbouring Tirupathur district and a few others in the northern region for electioneering in support of his party candidates, Velu affirmed that the raids will not hamper or cause a setback to his poll campaign.