The Income Tax department on Friday raided multiple locations in Tamil Nadu linked to state minister EV Velu, the fourth senior DMK leader to face the heat of the central agencies.

Velu holds the portfolios of public works, highways and minor ports in the MK Stalin-led cabinet.

Raids were conducted in more than 40 locations across the state, including Velu’s home town in Tiruvannamalai, an official aware of the development said. “Residences, offices and educational institutions, including Arunai Engineering College owned by him, were searched. Contractors of the public works department (PWD) too have come under the I-T scanner,” the official said.

Velu, known to be close to chief minister Stalin, was the food minister in the previous DMK cabinet from 2006-2011.

Velu is the fourth senior DMK leader to be raided by federal agencies in the past few months. His cabinet colleague V Senthil Balaji is currently lodged in Puzhal Central Prison under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act filed by the Enforcement Directorate. The ED also raided and questioned higher education minister K Ponmudy. The I-T department last month raided Arakkonam MP S Jagathrakshagan.

Read Here: Vindictive politics, says MK Stalin on I-T raids at 40 premises linked to DMK MP

Several of Velu’s cabinet colleagues came to his defence. Chief minister’s son and sports minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said, “I-T, ED are BJP’s wings. Their actions have increased in the past few months. We will face these issues legally.”

Senior DMK leader and minister for water resources S Durai Murugan said that almost every day there is some raid against the DMK so the party does not consider it to be a big issue.

“It’s a political drama by the Union government,” said minister for milk and dairy development Mano Thangaraj.

Velu’s supporters gathered outside his house chanting slogans against the BJP-led Union government.

The minister’s personal assistant, Suresh, and late DMK MLA Vasuki Murugesan’s sister ,Padma, were also raided.

Velu was also previously raided in March 2021 ahead of Tamil Nadu’s assembly elections.