TVK MLA offered ₹35cr bribe; 3 with 'DMK link' arrested
What's the story
The Tamil Nadu Police have arrested three people in connection with an alleged horse-trading attempt to destabilize the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government. The arrests came after TVK MLA N Ilaiyaraja alleged he was offered ₹35 crore to vote against a resolution targeting the House Speaker. The investigation has also implicated former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) minister V Senthil Balaji and his brother V Ashok Kumar, as per a police press release on Wednesday.
Complaint details
Ilaiyaraja filed complaint on June 29
Ilaiyaraja filed a complaint with the Chennai Police Commissioner on June 29. In his complaint, he alleged that a man named Thirunavukkarasu, who claimed to be from an opinion polling organization called Indian Political Democratic Strategies (IPDS), contacted him on behalf of a major political party. The caller allegedly asked Ilaiyaraja to vote against the Speaker and offered him ₹35 crore for compliance.
Threats issued
Threats were issued, claims Ilaiyaraja
Ilaiyaraja alleged he rejected the offer but was threatened by Thirunavukkarasu, who warned that both he and his family would face consequences if the conversation was disclosed. Investigators have alleged Thirunavukkarasu contacted Ilaiyaraja on behalf of Senthil Balaji and Ashok Kumar. Police have since arrested the three men, Thirunavukkarasu, Naresh and Thiyagarajan.
Accusations made
DMK trying to poach MLAs from ruling party, says minister
After the arrests, Tamil Nadu minister P Nirmal Kumar claimed that the DMK had been trying to poach MLAs from the ruling party for "the last 40 days." He said, "We have been saying continuously for the last 40 days that the DMK, Stalin, and his team have been trying to poach our MLAs." Kumar added that one of their MLAs, referring to Ilaiyaraja, was threatened by DMK members with backing from Senthil and Ashok. "We strongly condemn this act."