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NT Bureau
Chennai, Jan 25:

        Union Minister of State for Finance Palani Manickam today denied any political motive behind the income tax raid which was conducted recently on the premises of DMDK leader Vijayakanth and his relatives (along with many other private college promoters).

        Speaking to reporters, the Minister said the raids were conducted based on valid information that the actor and his relatives were evading filing of returns.

        Moreover, there was a huge difference in the wealth details that actor had submitted before the Election Commission of India and this triggered the raid.

        He also said the Income Tax Department would go ahead with raids, if needed, on any other political party leader if the department received any valid information.

        The Minister's response came in as a reaction to the allegations that the searches at Vijayakanth's premises were a 'way of silencing the voice of the opposition'.

        On raids in the premises of Jeppiar who is the founder of Sathyabama University and St Joseph's Colleges, he said the IT officials had seized valid documents and evidences amounting to Rs 11 crore which were not accounted for.

        It may be noted that a series of raids was conducted by the Income Tax Department at the residences of Vijayakanth and Jeppiar and several others in Tamilnadu on Tuesday last.

        The raids were conducted at 14 locations across the State on the basis of complaints that the educationist and party head had amassed wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income.

        A team headed by IT Director General Muthuramakrishnan and 400 other officials is said to have carried out the raid. The officials also conducted raids at a business establishment of one Murali, proprietor of a professional courier in Udumalpet.

        The raid conducted also created a flutter among the DMDK party cadres, who went to the actor's house in large numbers and damaged the cars of IT Department officials parked near his residence.

        It is pertinent to mention here that this was the second raid conducted by the DMK government after it took office in May last. The earlier one was carried on by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) at the residences of AIADMK leaders O Paneerselvam and Anitha R Radhakrishnan during September last year.