Allegations of ‘horse trading’ have sparked a political storm in Tamil Nadu, with the Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam party in power.TVK) led by Chief Minister Vijay, accusing the opposition DMK of trying to steal the MLAs and destabilize the government. The DMK rejected the accusations and responded with counter allegations.
The controversy erupted after the TVK MLA claimed that he was offered a show $35 crores to vote in a certain way in the Assembly. The case has since led to the arrest of three people, even as both sides continue to trade accusations of attempts to destabilize the government.
What sparked the dispute?
The controversy started after TVK MLA N Ilaiyaraaja filed a complaint on June 29, alleging that a man named Thirunavukkarasu had contacted him claiming to represent Indian Political Democratic Strategies (IPDS) and saying he was communicating on behalf of members of a major political party.
According to the complaint, Ilaiyaraaja was allegedly asked to vote a certain way during a proposed resolution against the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, and was offered up to $35 Crores as incentive.
The MLA also claimed that he was threatened after rejecting the offer and warned not to reveal the conversation.
Three were arrested in the case
Based on the complaint, police registered a case at D1 Triplicane police station in Chennai and arrested Thirunavukkarasu, along with Naresh from Tiruchirappalli and Thiagarajan from Chennai.
According to the police, the investigation revealed that Naresh met V Ashok Kumar, brother of former DMK minister and Coimbatore South MLA V Senthil Balaji, in Chennai. Further investigation indicates that Thirunavukkarasu acted on instructions linked to Senthil Balaji and Ashok Kumar, police said.
Read also: $35 Crores Cash to Arrest Voting” > TVK and DMK accuse each other of horse trading next $35 crores in cash for voting arrest
“Stalin tries to overthrow the government”
After the arrests, Tamil Nadu Minister P Nirmal Kumar alleged that the DMK has been trying to poach TVK MLAs for the past 40 days.
Terming it an attempt to destabilize the government, Kumar alleged that DMK chief MK Stalin was trying to “bring down the government” after failing to accept the people’s rule in the Assembly elections.
DMK rejects these charges
The DMK denied the allegations and termed them baseless.
Party spokesperson TKS Elangovan questioned why the DMK was trying to buy a single TVK MLA, arguing that such a move would not help the party form a government.
“There is a game behind this action. DMK was never involved in buying MLAs from TVK. Someone is lying,” he said.
The party also responded by alleging that TVK itself had tried to lure the MLAs. DMK organizing secretary RS Bharathi urged Governor RN Ravi to order a probe into allegations that two MDMK MLAs were contacted, and asked the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption to register an FIR.
TVK denied the allegation, accusing the DMK of trying to divert attention from the issue related to Elaiyaraja’s complaint.
Former AIADMK leaders are set to join TVK
Amid the political stagnation, the ruling TVK is also set to get a boost, with former AIADMK ministers C Vijayabaskar, MR Vijayabaskar and MSM Anandan announcing that they will join Vijay’s party.
The leaders said their decision came after consultations with their supporters and reflects their confidence in Vijay’s leadership. Anandan also denied the allegations of “horse trading”, saying they joined the party voluntarily.
On the other hand, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M) has urged the Tamil Nadu government to thoroughly investigate allegations of attempts to lure MLAs with money and ensure strict legal action against those involved.
Alliance meeting
In another political development, TVK held the first coordination meeting of its alliance with Congress, VCK, IUML and MDMK.
Congress leader Manickam Tagore said the partners discussed forming a coordination committee, preparing a common minimum program and giving the alliance an official name.
Congressman Pravin Chakravarti said that the meeting focused on strengthening the alliance supporting the Tamil Nadu government and had nothing to do with the India bloc.
(With inputs from agencies)
