Chennai, Aug. 26:
Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran has demanded that Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay remove Finance Minister Maria Wilson from the Cabinet pending an investigation into his alleged admission in the Assembly that he had paid a bribe to a former School Education Minister.
In a statement, Nainar Nagendran said both giving and accepting a bribe were offences and argued that legal action should be initiated against all those involved.
He referred to Maria Wilson’s statement in the Assembly in which the Minister allegedly admitted to having paid money to former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh to secure approvals connected with his educational institution. Nainar questioned why no formal complaint had been lodged either at the time of the alleged demand or subsequently.
The BJP leader also sought to know why the issue was raised in the Assembly without first pursuing a legal complaint. He questioned whether any irregularity or legal obstacle at the educational institution had led to the alleged payment being made to secure the required approval.
Nainar argued that a person accused of resorting to bribery for personal benefit should not continue to hold a key ministerial position. He said such allegations raised questions about the integrity and impartial functioning of the government machinery.
He demanded that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption register a case and conduct a thorough investigation. He cited provisions relating to bribery and abetment of corruption and said the probe should proceed without compromise.
“Until the investigation is completed, Chief Minister Vijay should remove Maria Wilson from the Cabinet,” Nainar said.