Mamata calls I-T raid at TN chief secy's home 'vindictive', 'unethical'

Mamata advised I-T officials to take the state leadership into confidence before taking any action

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today criticised the I-T raid at the residence of Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P Rama Mohana Rao, saying that such a "vindictive and unethical" act by the central agencies devalues the institution of the head of the civil service.

"Why this vindictive, unethical, technically improper action? Is it only to disturb the federal structure? Why do not they raid Amit Shah and others?" she said in a statement.

Banerjee said corruption needs to be strongly condemned, but "the raid on Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary by central agencies devalues the institution of the head of the civil service".

"The proper procedure should have been to take the state leadership into confidence and removing him from the post prior to any preemptive action, based on information," she said.

"Earlier the Principal Secretary of Arvind Kejriwal was raided and harassed. Now I read Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu has also been raided," Banerjee said.

The Income-Tax department on Wednesday conducted searches at over a dozen locations in connection with its tax evasion probe against the son and few other relatives of Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P Rama Mohana Rao.

It is understood that the official residence of the Chief Secretary in Chennai was also raided.