New Delhi: The Income Tax raids on DMK chief MK Stalin's daughter Senthamarai and others were conducted to check "political cash distribution" in Tamil Nadu, sources in the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) informed.
28 premises in Chennai, Coimbatore and Karur have been covered, they said.
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According to news agency PTI, these sources in CBDT revealed that "Several incriminating materials on tax evasion have been found so far" during the raids.
CBDT frames policy for the tax department. It has been further reported that the searches are being conducted on three different groups and a few individuals in the state.
"These groups and individuals are involved in businesses ranging from running distilleries and breweries, real estate, local financing, solar power EPC to handling cash of politically exposed persons for the ongoing elections," a senior tax department officer said.
"Part of these groups and individuals are alleged to have been actively assisting in political cash distribution. Searches have been conducted to verify and unearth such activities too," the officer said.
The DMK alleged that the raids had a "political objective" and condemned the central government for the same.
"I am MK Stalin. This Stalin has faced Emergency and MISA. I won't be scared because of these IT Raids. PM Modi should know that we aren't AIADMK leaders," responded DMK head MK Stalin on Friday.
Speaking at a rally in Perambalur, he said: "Today morning I came to Trichy from Chennai. I got news of a raid going on at my daughter's house in Chennai. The (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi government is saving the AIADMK government now...I want to tell Modi that this is DMK, don't forget that, I'm the son of Kalaignar (late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi). I will not be scared like this".
Tamil Nadu will vote for its 234-member assembly in a single phase on April 6.