Chennai, Oct 29:
DMK president M K Stalin on Thursday accused the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government of targeting former DMK ministers through vigilance raids and asserted that even the party’s grassroots workers would not be intimidated by the searches.
Reacting to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) searches at premises linked to former minister K N Nehru and others in connection with the alleged ₹634-crore cash-for-jobs scam, Stalin described the action as “Vettri Vendetta Politics”.
In a post on X, Stalin alleged that Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay was attempting to divert public and media attention from law-and-order concerns by conducting roadshows and raids. He claimed that the searches were directed exclusively at former ministers of the previous DMK government.
Stalin also accused the TVK of inducting people facing corruption allegations into its ranks while targeting DMK leaders. He alleged that the raids were intended to generate social media reels ahead of the Tiruchy East by-election and provide the Chief Minister with an opportunity to deliver punch dialogues at public events.
“The raids will not make even the toenail of the last DMK cadre tremble,” Stalin said, asserting that the party would continue to expose what he described as the shortcomings of the TVK government.
The DMK leader further criticised the government over what he termed a deterioration in law and order, administrative shortcomings and rising prices. He alleged that the government was attempting to silence the opposition and divert attention from these issues.
The DVAC searches followed the registration of a case against Nehru and others after the Madras High Court directed an investigation into allegations of irregularities in recruitment to posts in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department. The allegations, based on material shared by the Enforcement Directorate, concern bribes allegedly collected in connection with 2,538 appointments. The claims are subject to investigation.