Mamata slams IT raid at TN Chief Secy's residence, dubs it 'vindictive action'

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], Dec. 21 (ANI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said the raids by central agencies devalue institution of head of civil service and alleged that this vindictive, unethical and technically improper action was disturbing the country's federal structure. "Earlier the Principal Secretary of @ArvindKejriwal was raided and harassed. Now i read Chief Secretary TN also raided. Why this vindictive, unethical, technically improper action? Is it only to disturb the federal structure?" Mamata tweeted. Escalating her attack on the Centre, Mamata asked, "Why don't they raid Amit Shah and others who are collecting money? While corruption needs to be condemned strongly, raid on TN Chief Sec by Central agencies devalues institution of head of civil service." The Trinamool Congress chief asserted that proper procedure of the raid should have been to take the state leadership into confidence and removing the person in question from his post prior to any preemptive action based on information. Officials of the Income Tax Department earlier in the day conducted a raid at Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao's residence in Anna Nagar. Rao, who was appointed the Chief Secretary in June 2016, holds the additional charge of Vigilance Commissioner and Commissioner of Administrative Reforms. Raids are being carried out across the country by the Income Tax Department in the wake of the burgeoning fake currency racket post demonetisation. (ANI)