Sidelined deputy general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Amma) T.T.V. Dhinakaran on Thursday accused the Central government of being behind the extensive searches conducted by the Income Tax Department on business and private premises of his relatives and associates.
“Do you think that the Income Tax Department can be directed by [Chief Minister] Edappadi K.Palaniswami? It is the Central government only,” Mr. Dhinakaran told reporters outside his house in Adyar here, adding that the searches were an “attempt to drive out” himself and his aunt and deposed general secretary of the AIADMK (Amma) V. K. Sasikala from politics.
Pointing out that the searches were on simultaneously at about 180 places on the premises of his family, relatives, associates and party colleagues, he said, “One cannot deceive himself saying that the I-T department is functioning independently.”
Contending that it was nothing new for his family to witness such action, he claimed that when a case under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act was filed against him in February 1996, pressure was exerted on him to give a statement against former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. “Myself, my ‘chitthi’ [aunt Sasikala] and my ‘thambi’ [younger brother V. Bhaskaran] were arrested and kept in prison for a year. But, we did not yield [to the pressure],” he said.
‘Party will go on’
On the likely impact of the day’s developments on his party, Mr. Dhinakaran said. “Is not the party functioning even when the general secretary [Sasikala] has been out [of politics due to imprisonment]? Would the party stop functioning just because Dhinakaran is kept out? The party will be run even by grassroots workers,” he said.
Asked whether his criticism of demonetisation [and the implementation of Goods and Services Tax] had led to the searches, he said “today’s raids are showing only that.”
The actions would not deter him or the workers of his party.
“Let them put me behind the bars for even 20 or 25 years. On my release, I will see to it that the party of those responsible will not be allowed to take root here,” he said. He wondered what follow-up had been made after last year’s searches at the premises belonging to Sekar Reddy, industrialist and sand mining baron, and Anbunathan, businessman.
Mr. Dhinakaran deplored, what he called, the move to cripple the functioning of Jaya TV, a Tamil television channel, which, he said, was launched with the “blessings” of Jayalalithaa.
On the issue of “two leaves” symbol, the proceedings of which were pending before the Election Commission, he felt that even if the camp led by Mr. Palaniswami got the symbol allotted to itself, “no one is going to recognise it as the AIADMK.”
