Chennai, April 20 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, on Monday strongly condemned the Income Tax (IT) raid conducted at the residence of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K. Selvaperunthagai, alleging that it was a deliberate attempt to disrupt the Opposition’s election campaign ahead of the Assembly polls.

In a post on X, CM Stalin accused the BJP-led Central government of resorting to intimidation tactics with less than 48 hours remaining for the campaign to end.

“I strongly condemn the conspiracy to hinder the campaign of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President, brother Selvaperunthagai. Forgetting that India is a democratic country, the BJP government, out of fear of defeat, is trying to obstruct Opposition parties at the last minute. The people of Tamil Nadu will give a fitting reply to such authoritarian actions,” he said.

The remarks came after IT officials conducted searches at Selvaperunthagai’s residence in Kilpauk, Chennai, from Monday morning.

The Congress leader, who is contesting from the Sriperumbudur Assembly constituency, claimed that the officials had unlawfully detained him under the pretext of a house search.

Taking to social media, Selvaperunthagai alleged that he was being held in custody by IT officials during the raid. He further claimed that the operation involved officers who did not speak Tamil, raising concerns about the conduct of the search.

“Under the guise of an Income Tax raid, I have been illegally detained in the Sriperumbudur constituency using Hindi-speaking officers,” he said in his post.

The development has triggered sharp political reactions in the State, with Opposition leaders accusing the Centre of misusing central agencies to target political rivals during the crucial final phase of campaigning.

The timing of the raid has also drawn attention, as senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is currently in Tamil Nadu for election campaigning.

As the political row escalates, the incident is expected to further intensify the already heated electoral atmosphere in the State, where campaigning is set to conclude shortly ahead of polling.

–IANS

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