Former Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu P Rama Mohana Rao addressed the media on Tuesday over the I-T raids that were carried out at his residence and office last week and said, "I was the chief secretary. I am the chief secretary of Tamil Nadu. They have no guts to serve me with the copy of transfer order."
Rao claimed that he was being "targeted" and that his "life is in danger." Rao also said that he had no links with Chennai businessman Shekar Reddy. "I have nothing to do with him. He has nothing to do with any government business," the former chief secretary told reporters.
Rao said: "I want to tell what has been found in my house. I have received the 'panchnama'. I'll hand over to you the 'panchanama' of what the Income Tax Department has found in my house. I was under house arrest. It is an unconstitutional assault on the office of Chief Secretary. I'm still the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu."
He added that the I-T officials "found Rs 1,12,320 in my house, gold that belongs to my wife and daughter and silver articles and ornaments of God around 20-25 kg."
Rao was sacked from the post of Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary a day after his residences and office at the Secretariat were raided. Girija Vaidyanathan has replaced Rao as the state's new chief secretary.
Rao also claimed, while addressing the media, that the CRPF entered his and his son's residence "at gunpoint" with a search warrant that did not mention his name. According to Rao, the search warrant was in the name of his son.
"The CRPF entered my house and showed me the search warrant. My name was not there. They've found nothing. No incriminate documents found. No secret chamber, that is the store room. They did not have any search warrant against me. The search warrant had name of my son," Rao told the media.
The Income Tax Department carried out a raid at the residences of Rao and his son Vivek in Chennai and also at his office at the Secretariat last week and recovered Rs 30 lakh in new currency notes along with 5 kg gold and documents with details of undisclosed assets worth Rs 5 crore. The Tamil Nadu Police and CRPF personnel were also present in his office at the Secretariat.
He thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for their support while slamming the state and central government for the raids conducted at his residence.
"Where is the state government ? What role or business does the government of India, the CRPF have to enter the chief secretary's chamber ? Did they get the Tamil Nadu chief minister's permission? Isn't this unconstitutional assault? Who's permission did CRPF get to enter my house? If they wanted to search my house, they could have transferred me. How much time does it take for a chief minister to transfer a chief secretary?" Rao said adding that if Jayalalithaa "had been alive," this would have never happened to the state.
"What about people's security? The CRPF entered my house at gunpoint. They entered my son's house at gunpoint. Why did they do?" Rao asked, adding hat he will take this matter up with the "people's court".
Earlier on Friday, Rao was admitted to the ICU ward of Sri Ramachandra Hospital in Chennai after he complained of chest pain.
