Jayalalithaa's kin blames VK Sasikala's family for I-T raids at her residence, accuses them of hatching conspiracy

Chennai: Tamil Nadu fisheries minister D Jayakumar on Saturday blamed jailed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala and her family for the Income Tax (I-T) raids at late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s residence late on Friday night. J Deepa, the niece of Jayalalithaa, also termed the raid a conspiracy of the Sasikala family. She said the I-T officials did not inform her about the raid. She is a legal heir of Jayalalithaa. [caption id=“attachment_4216661” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Jayalalithaa and VK Sasikala. PTI[/caption] Speaking to reporters, minister Jayakumar said it is “painful” to note the I-T raids at Jayalalithaa’s residence. “It is the family of Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran to be blamed for the I-T raid,” Jayakumar said. Jayakumar said Dhinakaran is blaming Chief Minister K Palaniswamy and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam for political gains. Responding to the media in Tuticorin (600kilometre from Chennai), Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan said, “The raids were done on the basis of specific information and not for political vendetta.” On Friday night, I-T officials recovered a laptop, a desktop and four pen drives from two rooms used by Sasikala at Jayalalithaa’s residence, said a senior official. “We received an input that some important electronic storage devices are going to be clandestinely removed from two rooms used by Sasikala in Veda Nilayam (Jayalalithaa’s residence),” the I-T official told IANS preferring anonymity on Friday. According to him, it was a “limited mission”. “We are not searching the entire premises,” he had said. The raid comes days after I-T officials carried out a massive search operation at the residences and premises of Sasikala’s kin and their business associates and unearthed Rs 1,430 crore of tax evasion. The Friday I-T search comes 21 years after an earlier search at Jayalalithaa’s residence.