The AIADMK has called the move an act of "political vendetta". (File)
Officials of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption is raiding 49 properties of former Tamil Nadu Food and Civil Supplies minister R Kamaraj, and his associates, on Friday in a disproportionate assets case.
Authorities claim that the former AIADMK MLA had acquired 58 crore worth assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during his tenure as Food and Civil Supplies minister between 2015 and 2021.
R Kamaraj and five others have been named in the case.
He is the seventh former AIADMK minister who has come under the scanner of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.
The AIADMK has called the move an act of "political vendetta" and that they would deal with this legally. The raids come at a time when the AIADMK is facing a leadership crisis.
Edappadi K Palaniswamy (EPS) and O Paneerselvam (OPS) are Coordinator and Joint coordinator of the AIADMK for now - working as per a ceasefire adopted five years ago - as factionalism had threatened to break up the party after the death of the then chief minister Jayalalitha in December 2016.
The EPS camp now wants to amend the party bylaws to abolish the Coordinator and Joint Coordinator's posts; and restore the General Secretary post to have one top leader.
Though the Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Madras High Court order which restrained the passing of any unannounced resolutions in the meeting of the AIADMK general and executive councils concerning the issue of single leadership of the party, the Madras High Court is hearing a plea by OPS to stall the meeting which he claims is illegal according to the bylaws of the party.