E-Paper
Vindictive politics, says MK Stalin on I-T raids at 40 premises linked to DMK MP
DMK chief MK Stalin sad the arrest of AAP MP Sanjay Singh and raids on DMK MP Jagathrakshakan’s home indicate misuse of probe agencies for political ends
CHENNAI: The income tax department on Thursday carried out searches at nearly 40 premises linked to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) four-time Lok Sabha member S Jagathrakshakan, leading chief minister MK Stalin to accuse the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of practising “vindictive politics”.
Stalin, who cited the arrest of Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), said in a post on X that it was time the BJP stop their witch-hunt.
“The Union BJP Government’s vindictive politics knows no bounds! Arresting AAP MP Sanjay Singh and raiding DMK MP Jagathrakshakan’s home are clear examples of their misuse of independent investigating agencies for political ends against INDIA bloc leaders.” Stalin said.
“The BJP is clearly afraid of the growing unity among opposition parties. It’s time they stop their witch-hunt and focus on addressing the real issues,” the DMK chief said, a reference to the 26-party coalition formed by the opposition, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
The income tax department hasn’t issued a formal statement on the searches targeting Jagathrakshakan, the former union minister and MP from north Tamil Nadu’s Arakkonam Lok Sabha seat.
To be sure, this isn’t the first time in recent years that the MP has been the target of criminal investigations.
The ED registered a case against the MP in June 2020 on the basis of two first information reports filed by the crime branch-criminal investigation department in connection with allegations that he allegedly usurped the properties of Chrome Leather Factory in Chromepet. The FIRs registered by the police were, however, cancelled by a single bench of the Madras high court in September 2022. In November, a two-judge bench of the high court also cancelled the ED case registered against him.
In his post on X following Thursday’s searches, Stalin said the deliberate persecution of opposition leaders was an assault on democracy.
“The BJP conveniently forgets that the Supreme Court has just warned the ED to be transparent and fair. But it seems they are hell-bent on disregarding the rule of law and democracy,” he said, referring to the Supreme Court judgment that questioned ED’s “style of functioning” and directed it to maintain “pristine standards of probity and fairness” instead of being vindictive.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore also criticised the action against the DMK MP. “I-T and ED have become frontal organisations for the BJP...It’s a well-thought politics and it’s their political vendetta. ED and IT reach the premises of those who are against them (BJP). Those who come along with them get cleaned in the washing machine. People will reject this politics of PM Modi and Amit Shah,” he said, according to news agency ANI.
