Madurai, Nov 9:
Madurai Central TVK MLA Madhar Badhruddin, popularly known as Mustafa, has performed Umrah pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, tonsuring his head and offering special supplications for the long life, well-being, and political success of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.
Visuals of the first-time legislator completing the religious rituals and praying for the ruling partyās leadership circulated widely across social media networks. Speaking from Saudi Arabia, party functionaries stated that Mustafa undertook the pilgrimage as an act of gratitude and prayer for the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government and its founder-chief Vijay.
The MLA had recently been at the center of a major political storm after lodging a formal complaint with the Central Crime Branch (CCB) alleging that senior AIADMK functionaries, including former Madurai Deputy Mayor P.M. Mannan, had approached him through intermediaries. Mustafa alleged that he was offered kickbacks ranging between Rs 15 crore and Rs 30 crore to switch allegiance and vote against the government during a future legislative trust vote or floor test. The allegations triggered Mannan’s arrest, subsequent release, and continuing interrogation by police investigators in Madurai.