Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) General Secretary, E Palaniswami, has accused incumbent MK Stalin of vindictive politics, alleging that his government is targeting the chief opposition party’s cadre with the help of its “puppet”, the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
“The Anti-Corruption Bureau, which has become one of the puppets of the Stalin-model DMK government, is conducting raids targeting Arani constituency MLA and former minister Anbu Kotram, Mr Saveur, S. Ramachandran, and former Usilampatti MLA Mr Judge,” EPS said in a tweet on Saturday.
Palaniswami’s claim came a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out fresh searches at around 10 locations in Tamil Nadu as part of its probe into the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac)-linked money laundering case. Tasmac is a state-run body that holds a monopoly over liquor sales in Tamil Nadu.
“The ED raids in the Tasmac case have created fear in Mr. Stalin, not knowing what to do in fear, he has sent his operatives to the homes of AIADMK members with political zeal as a revenge move,” he added.
The ED searches in the Tasmac case were conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at premises linked to Tasmac officials and agents.
The financial probe agency also reportedly raided the residence of the Tamil film producer, Aakash Baskaran. He is the producer of the upcoming films Idly Kadai (starring Dhanush and Nithya Menen) and Parasakthi (featuring Sivakarthikeyan and Ravi Mohan).
Furthering his attack on the DMK chief, EPS questioned if MK Stalin was going to break his silence on the Tasmac raids.
“With fabricated stories, these raids, which are conducted on the basis of fake cases, the @AIADMKOfficial movement cannot even be seen to move. We will definitely confront all of these legally. We will win,” EPS professed.
The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, led by Stalin, and the AIADMK are at loggerheads over a range of issues ahead of Tamil Nadu Assembly elections later this year.
Notably, the AIADMK has forged an alliance with the BJP to contest the elections against the DMK and its allies, setting the political tones ahead of the state elections.