Hours after the Income Tax Department launched simultaneous searches at the houses of Health Minister C Vijay Baskar, actor-politician Sarathkumar and others, AIADMK (Amma) deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran alleged that the searches were an attempt to prepare the ground to countermand the April 12 byelection in Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar Assembly constituency, where he is contesting.
“This is a conspiracy by our enemies and betrayers to stall my victory in R K Nagar. They are preparing the grounds for countermanding the byelection. Why did they conduct the searches now? Couldn’t they have waited till the polling was over? This is a planned exercise. We have seen bigger raids. By doing this they are only ensuring that my victory margin would go up. Those responsible for this will lose their deposits in the byelection,” he told journalists.
Asked if he saw the hand of the AIADMK (PTA) headed by O. Panneerselvam behind the I-T searches, Mr. Dhinakaran said, “Yes. Certainly there is a link. Those like Maitreyan (Rajya Sabha MP) and Pandiarajan (former minister), who don’t have guts to meet the people in R.K. Nagar, have been going around petitioning different people.”
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According to him, Mr. Vijaya Baskar was being needless targeted.
He also questioned the searches at the house of Samathuva Makkal Katchi founder R. Sarathkumar; a day after the latter extended support to him.