Velumani calls raid political vendetta, visits temple

Tuticorin/Coimbatore: Former municipal administration minister S P Velumani, who flew to Tuticorin and offered prayers in a temple on Wednesday, termed the DVAC searches at his house and that of his associates in connection with alleged fraud to the tune of Rs 811 crore in awarding contracts on Tuesday as an act of political vendetta.
“I will give a detailed press meet in two days after getting permission from the party. My leaders (O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami) have already issued a detailed statement,” he said during a brief interaction with reporters at Tuticorin airport.
Velumani said the former fisheries minister, D Jayakumar, had already spoken about the DVAC searches. The Thondamuthur MLA said the DVAC searches weren’t the reason behind his visit to the temple, which he didn’t name. “I was supposed to offer prayers in the temple on Tuesday afternoon, stay here at night and return on Wednesday. But, I could not travel as planned because of the raid. I had darshan today,” he said.
Earlier in the day, he tweeted that the searches were politically motivated. “I thank party coordinator and deputy leader of opposition (O Panneerselvam) and joint coordinator and leader of opposition (Edappadi K Palaniswami), MLAs, former ministers, party functionaries, friends and general public for standing by the side of truth and supporting me at a time when DMK party has indulged in political vendetta against me,” he said in the tweet.
Meanwhile, the AIADMK on Wednesday slammed the DMK government for the DVAC searches at the office of Namadhu Puratchi Thalaivi Amma daily, the party organ, without following due procedures.
In a statement, OPS and EPS said it amounted to attack on the freedom of press. “The searches should be done in the presence of the proprietor or incharge, as per the law. But it wasn’t followed. The searches took place using duplicate keys and breaking the lock. It is legally punishable,” they said, warning legal action against the “trespassers”.
They said chief minister M IK Stalin, who also holds the portfolio of home department, was responsible for the “attack” on the newspaper and demanded action against policemen.