Raids on Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary not vindictive action: BJP
Terming it as an usual procedure, the BJP TN president said the raids proved that the department was working without discrimination.
Chennai: Rebutting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's criticism of the IT raids on Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P Ramamamohana Rao, BJP on Wednesday, said the raids prove the agency was working without any discrimination and had carried out a "usual procedure."
BJP state President Tamilisai Soundararajan said that I-T authorities had been conducting searches in the state of late, with lot of seizures being made from a private contractor, Shekhar Reddy.
"And today, searches are being conducted at the Chief Secretary's residence. This is a usual procedure undertaken by the Income Tax department. How is it acceptable if people like Mamata Banerjee call it vindictive action?" she questioned.
Saying that the taxmen raid a place on suspicion or on information of movement of money, the BJP TN president added that the officials will say so if nothing has been found.
"The raids are done to see if any (illegal) cash is present. If there is nothing (incriminating available), they will say it. Therefore, I completely deny that this is vindictive action," she said.
Soundararajan further said that the searches on Wednesday were also proof that the I-T department was "working without any discrimination". She also pointed out that cash, gold and documents had been seized in earlier I-T searches in the state.
Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement, she said 'honest people need not fear' as the tax evasion and black money probe was targeted against those indulging in irregularities.
Earlier, Mamata Banerjee had criticised the I-T raid at the residence of Rao, terming it an "vindictive and unethical" act by the central agencies that devalued the institution of head of the civil service.
"Why this vindictive, unethical, technically improper action? Is it only to disturb the federal structure? Why do not they raid Amit Shah and others..." she said in a statement.
Responding to Banerjee's charge as to why BJP leaders were not being raided, Soundararajan said that the tax sleuths do not just go about conducting searches but gather all relevant information before doing so.