Brushing aside reports that the Income Tax (I-T) department has sent a letter to the Chief Secretary, naming Ministers and officials who allegedly received bribes from arrested sand mining baron Sekhar Reddy, Finance Minister D. Jayakumar on Tuesday dismissed such reports as rumours.
“It is wrong...It is a rumour circulated by some people. If you get hold of any such letter from the Income Tax department, give it to us. Then, I shall reply,” Mr. Jayakumar said while interacting with mediapersons here.
He also rejected accusations that the family of jailed AIADMK leader Sasikala was interfering with the affairs of the party and the government.
“There is no interference from anybody or any family in the party as well as the government. Not even a grain of interference. We can assert that this is Amma ’s (Jayalalithaa’s) government, and that it is proceeding the way she intended. There is not even a grain of truth in that [allegation],” Mr. Jayakumar said.
When his attention was drawn to the claims made by AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) leader S. Semmalai that several Ministers were planning to join their faction, Mr. Jayakumar contended that it was from the Panneerselvam camp that many were keen on shifting to the ruling AIADMK (Amma). “That will happen soon,” he said.
Reacting to the statement of DMK leader M.K. Stalin that the law and order situation was deteriorating in the State, the Finance Minister maintained that Tamil Nadu remains peaceful and industry-friendly. “On the other hand, during the erstwhile DMK regime, the State witnessed the serial bomb blasts in Coimbatore, violence at the Madras Law College and prison riots in Chennai,” he said.
