Why Koovathur was not raided, questions MK Stalin
Criticising the raids conducted by I-T department at the resort in which Gujarat Congress MLAs have been lodged in Karnataka, DMK working president M K Stalin urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop using independent agencies like I-T, enforcement directorate and CBI against BJP’s political rivals.
By : migrator
Update: 2017-08-02 19:55 GMT
Chennai
Wondering why the same independent I-T department had remained a mute spectator during the infamous Koovathur saga, Stalin said the ruling BJP’s exploitation of independent central agencies was an open threat posed to political parties and democratic institutions.
Over 120 AIADMK MLAs owing allegiance to V K Sasikala then had remained holed up for days at a resort in Koovathur near Mahaballipuram till Edappadi K Palaniswami assumed office as Chief Minister on February 18, 2017.
Drawing a parallel between the way I-T department had reacted then and now in Karnataka, Stalin said the double standard of the ruling BJP in fighting corruption has been exposed and the raids in Karnataka and inaction in Koovathur had torn the mask of the Modi regime.
Referring to the I-T raids conducted at an MLAs place in Puducherry after he had quit office to make way for CM candidate Narayanasamy earlier, Stalin sought to know why the same I-T sleuths had not raided MLA Aarukutty who defected from OPS to EPS camp recently.
Recalling the interviews given by AIADMK MLA’s Saravanan and Kanagaraj, who disclosed that legislators were being bribed in the resort, before swearing their allegiance to OPS, the Leader of Opposition asked why the Central agencies had remained inactive then.
Opining that it does not augur well for a democracy when the Centre uses independent agencies to conduct biased raids targeting political opponents, Stalin also expressed shock at the blatant exploitation of central agencies to advance political interests.
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