Day after raids, Tamil Nadu minister’s father appears before income tax dept

Tamil Nadu health minister C Vijayabaskar’s father Chinnathambi appeared before the income tax authorities in Tiruchirapalli, a day after sleuths conducted searches at properties and offices belonging to Vijayabaskar across the state.

Tamil Nadu health minister C Vijayabaskar’s father Chinnathambi appeared before the income tax authorities in Tiruchirapalli on Saturday, a day after sleuths conducted searches on the minister’s properties and office premises.

Tamil Nadu health minister Vijaya Baskar argues with CRPF personnel during the raid at his residence in Chennai.(PTI)

“They (income tax department) asked me to come. I have come here,” Chinnathambi told reporters.

The sleuths of income tax investigation wing conducted searches at properties and offices belonging to Vijayabaskar across the state on Friday.

The searches on premises of an associate of Vijayabaskar allegedly revealed routing of Rs 89 crore for “distribution to voters” in RK Nagar assembly constituency which goes to poll on April 12.

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

Earlier in the day, Vijayabaskar slammed the tax raids saying, “their intentions were not fulfilled”.

“They have not seized any unaccounted money or documents. Their intentions are not fulfilled by the raids,” he told reporters in Chennai.

“It (the raid) is only a political vendetta. People of RK Nagar are ready to give TTV Dinakaran a huge mandate in the poll. The raids were conducted with a view to countermand the bypoll,” he alleged.