Income tax raids have been on since 3 November on the residences, offices and other premises of Tamil Nadu Minister for Public Works Department, Highways and Minor Ports, EV Velu. It was reported that Rs 22 crore had been seized in cash in the IT raids conducted.
EV Velu, speaking to the media at Tiruvannamalai on Tuesday night, said, “BJP cannot stop us from doing the work for the people by conducting an income tax audit. It was only because of the five-day raid by the Income Tax department that you were able to freeze the work of the corporation and the government. The income tax department works as a team in BJP.”
The Minister denied knowing the owners of Casagrand Builders and Appaswamy Real Estate as well. He said, “I don’t know who runs Casagrand. The only relationship I have with Appasamy realtors is that I used to stay in their hotels, sometimes, when I visited Coimbatore.”
Velu further stated that not one paisa was seized from his house by IT officials. As for the educational institutions, he said they were run by his family members and he was not on any of the boards or a trust member.
“I have 48.33-acre land in Tiruvannamalai and a house in Chennai which I have mentioned in the election affidavit. I have no other properties. Myself, my wife, and two sons are income tax assessees”, clarified Velu.
According to ANI on 7 November, sources told them, “Income Tax department has seized a total of Rs 29 crore, including Rs 22 crore in cash and incriminating documents, from the premises linked to Tamil Nadu Public Works and Highways Department Minister EV Velu and his Associates.”
Searches were also conducted at the educational institutions reportedly owned by EV Velu – the Arunai Medical College Hospital, Arunai Engineering College, Karan Arts College and Jeeva Velu Matriculation School. The IT raids at Appaswamy Real Estate and Casagrand Builder Pvt Ltd, apparently resulted in the seizure of Rs 7 crore cash.
EV Velu started out as a lorry driver, became a movie distributor and then entered politics with the AIADMK. He joined the DMK in the early 1990s and is a six-time MLA.
Earlier IT raids were conducted on three other senior DMK leaders—Minister V Senthil Balaji, who is currently in Puzhal Prison; Minister K Ponmudy and DMK MP S Jagathrakshakan.