CHENNAI: As the noose around him and his family tightened, rebel AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran on Thursday termed the income tax raids part of a “conspiracy by the Union government in collusion with the Edappadi K. Palaniswami government” in Tamil Nadu with an aim to eliminate “me and Chinamma (Sasikala) from politics.” Alleging that the raids were part of “political vendetta”, the rebel leader swore he was just not scared of being lodged in a jail, having experienced prison life when he was just 30 years in 1997 during the detention in Fera case, and would come out and lead the AIADMK even if he is jailed for 20 years.
Dhinakaran came out of his bungalow to address reporters as I-T sleuths swooped down on 180 locations owned by the family or connected to its members even as pictures of him performing 'gau pooja' (worshipping cow) along with his wife Anuradha went viral on TV channels and social media. Attributing clear motives to the raid, Dhinakaran sought to know why his party leaders like Karnataka AIADMK secretary Pugazhendi, Tiruvarur district secretary S. Kamaraj and even his wife's former personal assistant (PA) Jana were being search and questioned.
“Do I have business links with Pugazhendi? Why target people like my wife's former PA? This is just political vendetta. The raids are part of larger conspiracy to eliminate me and Chinamma (Sasikala) from politics,” Dhinakaran said. The rebel leader, who refuted reports that I-T raids took place at his residence as well, said only a senior official from the income tax department came to his bungalow in the morning and left almost immediately. However, he admitted that raids took place at his farmhouse in Aurovile near Puducherry where “only my caretakers live.”
The former Periyakulam MP, expelled from the AIADMK in September, said the I-T raids were part of a “detailed plan” by the Central and state governments to target his family to ensure that “we leave politics.” He also said the I-T raids would not deter him and Sasikala and both will continue their efforts to retrieve the “Two Leaves” symbol if it is allotted to EPS-OPS camp. “How long will they jail me? Even if they jail for me 20 years - I am 54 now -- and even if I am 75 then, I would come out and lead the 2 crore AIADMK cadre and wipe out the traitors (EPS-OPS) who think they have taken over the party. I have seen jail life when I was just 30 and we were a great support for late Amma,” Dhinakaran said.
Accusing the Union Government of “acting on misinformation and inspired inputs”, Dhinakaran said the I-T raids were aimed at “threatening us” since they know that the Edappadi government would fall anytime. “Why target us unnecessarily? They have not done anything to people who are in power after looting the state, but targeting us. Their efforts will never be successful,” the rebel AIADMK leader said.
