Chennai: The Opposition DMK today met Tamilnadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and submitted a 98-page memorandum alleging large scale corruption by the ruling AIADMK, the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers.
DMK president and Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin, accompanied by senior leaders, met Purohit at the Raj Bhavan and handed over the memorandum along with material evidences.
He requested him to direct the DVAC to inquire and register cases under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018 and investigate the cases as per law.
Later, talking to reporters, he said the Governor promised to look into the complaint and take action.
In the memorandum, he said the material provided by him against the government was sufficient to initiate inquiry under provisions of the Constitution and various statutes including Indian Penal Code, Prevention of Corruption Act, Transparency in Tenders Rules and so on.
“We further impress, through this representation, that any restraint from proceeding with the lawful criminal prosecution, would destroy the faith of the people of Tamilnadu in the rule of law,” he said.
The Supreme Court has reiterated in a number of cases that the rule of law forms the bedrock of democracy and this was postulated in the famous words, “Be you ever so high, the law is above you,” he said.
Stalin also alleged that the DMK was submitting this memorandum in the light of the continued obstruction of legal proceedings by the Council of Ministers of the Tamilnadu government by influencing the Police Department, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption and the State Vigilance Commission in order to prevent registration of FIR and thereafter, any impartial and fair investigation into allegations of corruption against them.
“While doing so, the Council of Ministers, led by the Chief Minister, have continued to exert undue influence on public servants in order to stop them from taking action against organised plunder of the public exchequer. As such, these actions have broken the backbone of the principle of accountability, which is enshrined in the Constitution various statutory enactments, the diktats of the Supreme Court (notably, in Vineet Narain – vs.- Union of India) and the High Courts,” he said.