Income Tax officials conducted extensive searches at over 40 locations, spanning various areas, including the minister’s hometown in Tiruvannamalai and properties, offices, and educational institutions owned by him throughout Tamil Nadu, specifically in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Karur, reported Hindustan Times.
The subject of these searches was EV Velu, who currently serves as the Minister of the Public Works Department and holds the distinction of being the third cabinet member in the DMK government to come under the scrutiny of federal authorities. He is also the fourth leader from the DMK party to be investigated in this manner.
Notably, EV Velu is known to have a close association with Chief Minister and DMK President MK Stalin. He previously held the position of Food Minister in the DMK cabinet from 2006 to 2011.
Udhayanidhi Stalin, another prominent DMK figure and a minister in Tamil Nadu, raised concerns, asserting that agencies such as the Income Tax department and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are operating as political tools of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
It’s important to note that this development is part of a series of federal agency raids on senior DMK leaders in recent months. V Senthil Balaji, a fellow cabinet member, is presently in Puzhal Central Jail due to a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act filed by the ED. The ED has also conducted searches and questioned K Ponmudy, the Minister of Higher Education in Tamil Nadu, as part of these ongoing investigations.
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