Chennai, Oct 29:
DMK president and former Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday accused the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government of pursuing political vendetta against opposition leaders following vigilance searches at premises linked to former minister KN Nehru and former MLA Nanthakumar.
Describing the action as “Vettri Vendetta Politics”, Stalin alleged that the government was using raids to divert public attention from its administrative shortcomings, deteriorating law and order and rising prices.
In a statement, the DMK president claimed that the searches were intended to create social media videos ahead of the Tiruchy East by-election and provide opportunities for Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to deliver punch dialogues at election meetings.
Stalin asserted that the raids would not intimidate DMK workers and said the party would continue to highlight what it considered the government’s failures.
He also accused the ruling party of adopting contradictory standards in dealing with allegations of corruption. In a sharp political attack, he described the TVK as a “Tamil Nadu branch washing machine”, alleging that people facing corruption allegations were being welcomed into the ruling party while former DMK ministers were being targeted by investigative agencies.
Stalin further alleged that the government was attempting to silence the opposition instead of addressing public concerns. He cited law and order, administrative performance and the impact of price increases as issues requiring greater attention.
The vigilance searches against Nehru and persons linked to him form part of an investigation into alleged irregularities during his tenure as minister for municipal administration and water supply. The case centres on allegations that money was collected from candidates in exchange for jobs in the department during the previous DMK government.
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption conducted searches at multiple premises linked to the former minister across Tamil Nadu. Investigators are examining documents and other material relating to the alleged transactions.
The allegations remain subject to investigation, and the searches do not by themselves establish guilt.
Stalin’s remarks have added a political dimension to the investigation, with the DMK portraying the action as an attempt to weaken the opposition ahead of the Tiruchy East by-election. The ruling party’s position on the allegations and the investigation will be central to the continuing political debate.