CHENNAI: Strongly condemning the raids by the Income-Tax (I-T) department sleuths on the residence of the former Tamil Nadu minister and DMK treasurer Duraimurugan at Katpadi near Vellore since Friday night, the DMK President, M K Stalin termed it as a "blatant abuse of power by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) through the I-T department" in the backdrop of intelligence reports predicting a clean sweep for the DMK-Congress alliance in Tamil Nadu in the April 18 Lok Sabha elections.
"The DMK will not be cowed down by such fascist tactics and sadism of the Central government," Mr Stalin said in a hard-hitting statement here on Saturday. "Perhaps, Sri Narendra Modi does not understand that the DMK had faced even the Emergency bravely and stood up to the draconian MISA terror," he said.
Accusing the Prime Minister with continuing to use I-T raids against the DMK and other opposition parties in different parts of the country even when the election process is on, Mr Stalin alleged that "he (Modi) is trying to have all Central agencies including CBI, ED etc. in his pocket and misuse official power, which was now reaching a zenith."
Mr Stalin said even the BJP's electoral deal with the AIADMK was like a quid-pro-quo after having ordered several raids against ruling AIADMK ministers, and added "now the PM is turning his attention towards the DMK." Mr. Modi is now only a caretaker Prime Minister, he said and asked why the Central agencies were still "keeping quiet" about such abuse of power when the model code of conduct for the general elections was in force.
Charging the BJP government at the Centre with "protecting" the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at any cost, the DMK leader said the I-T raids on Duraimurugan's house was like aiming covertly from its back on the DMK.
Mr. Stalin said the Election Commission should declare that autonomous central agencies including CBI and ED were also bound by the model code of conduct. If the EC's objective was to stop "cash distribution" to voters, the poll body should make efforts to ensure that all such Central agencies directly functioned under the Chief Justice of India when the poll code was in force, he urged.
