: Accusing the AIADMK of being responsible for the postponement of the election to the Aravakurichi constituency, DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin on Wednesday urged the Central government to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the seizure of Rs. 4.77 crore of unaccounted money from the house of Anbunathan in Karur, who was in close contact with a few AIADMK Ministers.
Campaigning for the party’s Aravakurichi candidate K.C. Palanisamy at Velayuthampalayam, Mr. Stalin said that the Election Commission (EC), in its order deferring the Aravakurichi election, had said that income-tax officials had seized Rs. 4.77 crore from the house of Anbunathan and documents relating to the purchase of saris and dhotis to the tune of Rs. 1.30 crore.
They had also seized a number of currency-counting machines and incriminating documents. Besides, the EC had stated that Mr. Anbunathan was in close contact with a few prominent Ministers of the AIADMK. As several facts had been suppressed, a CBI enquiry should be ordered into the case, he demanded.
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Similarly, though the State Bank of India had reportedly claimed ownership of the Rs. 570 crore seized by the election authorities in Tirupur, several questions remained unanswered, he said.
Apprehensions were raised that the standard operating procedure of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had not been followed while transporting such a huge quantity of cash. People had every right to know the truth behind the entire episode. Here again, only a CBI enquiry could bring out the truth, he said.
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Alleging that the AIADMK had distributed money to the voters in all 234 constituencies in the State, Mr. Stalin said the ruling party had resorted to bribing voters for fear of losing. “The results will show that muscle and money power cannot win elections,” he said.