DMK working president and Leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin on Thursday questioned why the Reserve Bank of India was not providing details to the CBI about the source of the money (in ₹2,000 denomination) seized from mining baron J. Sekar Reddy.
Citing The Hindu report on how the CBI’s probe in the case had hit a roadblock as the RBI had been unable to provide the serial numbers of currency dispatched post-demonetisation, Mr. Stalin said this had also delayed the filing of the charge-sheet in the case. “Sekar Reddy, unsurprisingly, has now pointed to this delay and has asked the court to drop the charges against him, which now makes one wonder if the RBI is playing a key role in diluting this case,” said Mr. Stalin in a statement.
Mr. Stalin said that the Centre should not dilute the case against Mr. Reddy and that the RBI should provide the details of the bank notes to the CBI. He accused Mr. Reddy of being a ‘benami’ of two senior politicians belonging to the ruling party in Tamil Nadu.
Referring to the missing report of the I-T department on the gutkha scam and the Election Commission being in the dark about the transport of ₹570 crore in banknotes, he alleged that the Central government was not serious about investigating black money.
“With the Central government keen on celebrating ‘Anti-Black Money Day,’ it is ironic to note that the Centre has no answer regarding the investigations that are being systematically undermined,” he said.
On Thursday, Mr. Stalin interacted with journalists after visiting Kolathur to take stock of various developmental projects. When asked about Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar’s allegation that the DMK was behind the violence in North Chennai as it wanted to delay the R.K. Nagar byelection, Mr. Stalin said, “He is not just a super Chief Minister; he is a duper Chief Minister now. So, I don’t have to answer him.”
