IT department to grill more Ministers, MP?

Income Tax Department officials on Monday grilled Tamil Nadu Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar for over five hours regarding the documents purportedly seized during the searches conducted at his house and other premises belonging to him, his family members and associates on Friday last.

Income Tax officials are likely to summon six ministers and an MP, whose names allegedly figure on the documents seized from Vijaya Baskar's residence on Friday as recipients of Rs 90 crore for bribing the voters in the rescinded R K Nagar byelection.

"The entire Rs 90 crore, as per the records seized by us, was routed through six state ministers and a Rajya Sabha MP to the people down below in their party (AIADMK (Amma) faction) to distribute among R KNagar voters. We may have to summon all of them for questioning," said an I-T official.

The Department also had a marathon probe session with actor and Samathuva Makkal Katchi founder Sarath Kumar, which lasted from 11.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.

“We recorded the Minister’s statement over the seized documents. Investigations will continue,” said an Income Tax official.

Coming out of the office of the Income Tax Department in Nungambakkam, Vijayabaskar told reporters that he answered all the questions posed by the officials and cooperated with the investigation.