The diary was seized along with Rs 133 crore cash, including Rs 33.6 crore in new currency notes and over 100 kg of gold
In the run-up to the crucial RK Nagar Assembly seat by-poll, the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu find itself in a spot, with several of its cabinet ministers names found on the secret diary recovered from mining baron J Sekhar Reddy, who kept account of the pay-outs.
The diary was recovered from Reddy's premises during the Income-Tax raids in December last year and reveals monthly pay-outs to several state ministers, AIADMK functionaries and politicians of fringe outfits between April and November last year. The diary was seized along with Rs 133 crore cash, including Rs 33.6 crore in new currency notes and over 100 kg of gold.
However, Reddy has claimed that the records in the diary were not maintained by him as he did not keep a diary. "It is not my handwriting too. I don't know whose diary is this. Why are they doing it?" he said.
Meanwhile, a senior I-T official said that they had written to the state government with the information found in the diary and recommending an inquiry by the state vigilance agency. "We don't know what action was taken on our letter. It is the state's prerogative to order an inquiry or not," the official noted.
Interestingly, the name of current deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and then PWD minister, was mentioned the most number of times in the five pages. Panneerselvam abruptly cancelled his election campaign after he was repeatedly confronted about the development. "I don't know. I can't comment on the issue about which I didn't know," Panneerselvam said. Other names in the diary include environment minister Dindigul Seenivasan, electricity minister P Thangamani, health minister C Vijayabaskar and transport minister M Vijayabaskar.
DMK working president MK Stalin has sought a CBI probe and demanded the resignation of all ministers whose name were mentioned. "The entire cabinet should resign immediately. If a proper probe is not instituted, PMK would petition Governor and file a petition in the Madras High Court in this regard," said PMK founder Dr S. Ramadoss.
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