Income tax authorities in Tamil Nadu raided the home of actor legislator Vijayakanth prompting his fans to burn pictures of CM M Karunanidhi.
CHENNAI: Officials of the Income Tax department swooped on properties belonging to Tamil actor-turned-politician Vijaykanth on Tuesday, spurring theories of yet another act of political vendetta in a land where adversaries of the ruling party have repeatedly come under the I-T scanner.
The properties of Jeppiar, a former AIADMK man who owns several private educational institutions in the state, have also been raided. A posse of 60 officers, 130 inspectors and 10 other staff of I-T department spread out to raid 31 places across the state.
While there was no official word on the raids, sources said the officials have recovered documents relating to Vijaykanth’s proposed Rs 45-crore private hospital in Pondicherry. Sources close to the DMDK leader alleged that he was made to sign a statement that he has not been keeping records of his earnings in the recent years. There are also unconfirmed reports that the sleuths recovered jewellery worth Rs 2 crore from Jeppiar’s house.
Vijaykanth, who launched his party DMDK in September 2005 and garnered a considerable vote share in the 2006 Assembly elections and local body polls, was recently tipped off by a survey as a probable alternative to the main Dravidian parties - the DMK and the AIADMK. He won the lone seat for his party from Vrudhachalam in the Assembly polls.
His political mentor and DMDK presidium chairman Panruti Ramachandran told DNA that the raids were an act of political vendetta. Angry DMDK activists gathered in front of Vijaykanth’s residence at Virugambakkam, creating some tense moments. Later in the day, they burnt CM M Karunanidhi’s effigy.
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