TN bureaucrat P Rama Mohana Rao says 'I'm still chief secretary', thanks Rahul, Mamata for support on tax raids

The former Tamil Nadu chief secretary thanked Mamata Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi for their support over tax raids conducted at his house.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu P Rama Mohana Rao, who was removed following the recovery of undisclosed assets from his residence, on Tuesday slammed the state government over tax raids at his home and office and thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for their support in the case.

The former Tamil Nadu chief secretary also questioned that who gave the CRPF the go-ahead to enter his house to conduct the search. 

"After 32 years of service, if this is the condition of a chief secretary, how can CRPF enter my house? Why did they not transfer me? This is a political vendetta. I was under house arrest for over 26 hours. They (Centre) have no respect for the state government," Rama Mohan Rao said.

Rama Rao, who was removed from the post of TN chief secretary after the raid, said that he still holds the position and that authorities have no evidence against him. ' 

"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," he said while speaking to media today. 

Rao also accused the current O Paneerselvam-led Tamil Nadu government of being 'spineless' and said, "Had Madamji been alive, would this happen to Tamil Nadu?"

He also expressed gratitude to Mamata Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi for their support in the tax raid case. Mamata Banerjee had slammed the Centre for the raid and called it "unethical, vindictive and technically improper action".

Rao also claimed that the CRPF entered his house at gun point while he was put under a house arrest. 

"If they wanted to search my house, they could have transferred me. They have no guts to serve me with the copy of transfer order. How much time does it take for a chief minister to transfer a chief secretary," he said. 

The Income Tax sleuths conducted a raid at Rao's house and office on December 21. At the end of the 24-hour raid, I-T officials recovered Rs 30 lakh cash in new currency notes and five kg gold from the premises. In addition, Rao's son Vivek also confessed to having undisclosed assets worth Rs 5 crore. 

"I will hand over to you the 'panchnama' of what the Income Tax department has found in my house," he said, adding that the I-T officials found Rs 1.12 lakh cash and 40-50 gold souvenirs belonging to his wife and daughter from the house. Silver idols weighing 25 kg were also recovered, Rao said.

"They have found nothing; no incriminate documents, no secret chamber," the former Tamil Nadu chief secretary claimed.