I-T raids Stalin's daughter & son-in-law; unfazed DMK chief says he faced Emergency

Income Tax sleuths swooped down on premises belonging to the daughter and son-in-law of DMK President M K Stalin on Friday, prompting a strong response from the Dravidian party that questioned the timing of the raid as it came just five days before Tamil Nadu votes to elect a new Assembly.

The residence of Senthamarai and Sabareesan, daughter and son-in-law of Stalin, on the scenic East Coast Road (ECR) was raided along with other premises related to Sabareesan and his business firms. The raids were continuing but I-T officials were tight lipped on its initial outcome.

This is the second time the I-T raids are being conducted in houses of DMK leaders this election season – last week, party leader E V Velu's properties came under the scanner.

As the raid targeted the DMK's first family, the development snowballed into a controversy with political parties terming it as “motivated and revengeful.”

Read | DMK slams Centre for raids at Stalin's daughter's house

Leading the attack against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “trying to intimidate DMK” was Stalin himself.

“I would like to remind Modi that this is DMK. I am Kalaignar's (M Karunanidhi) son. I will not be cowed down by these intimidation tactics. I had faced MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) during (1975) Emergency,” Stalin told a road show in Jayankondam, 265 km from here.

He said the DMK was not AIADMK to “fall at your feet” and surrender the rights of Tamil Nadu, while alleging that the Centre had bullied the state government through raids at ministers and a former Chief Secretary.

Later, Stalin wrote a letter to his party men asking them to focus on getting people's support till the voting day. “I will take care of the pressure. You continue to work among the people and ensure they vote for our alliance,” Stalin said.

The DMK chief also received support from Congress, Left, and other alliance partners. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “Raiding the opposition is BJP’s coping mechanism when facing electoral defeat.”

Stalin's son and DMK youth wing chief Udhayanidhi went a step further and asked the I-T to raid his residence. “They have raided my sister's house. I challenge them to raid 25/9, Cenotaph road, Chittaranjan Salai, Chennai which is my address. If you have the guts, come and raid my house,” Udhayanidhi said.