Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran alleged that horse-trading was going on in state politics to help the TVK-led government alliance show its majority in the Assembly.
Nagendran was speaking to reporters after attending the district executive meeting of the BJP’s Dindigul unit on Saturday.
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He alleged the existence of “horse trading” efforts by the ruling government within the association.
“It is true that bargaining is taking place in Tamil Nadu. The bargainers have taken the initiative in the talks to show their government the majority,” he said.
A fresh row over ‘horse trading’ began in Tamil Nadu on June 1 after TVK MLA N Elaiyaraja claimed he was offered… $35 crore and threatened to influence his vote in a legislative decision, after which police registered a case and arrested three people, officials said on Wednesday.
Following this, Tamil Nadu’s political scene was thrown into turmoil with the arrest of senior DMK MLA Anitha R Radhakrishnan, who used his arrest to level explosive allegations of political coercion against members of the newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
Radhakrishnan, who was detained on Friday in connection with a case registered at Athur police station, spoke to the media moments after his arrest.
He claimed that the legal action taken against him is part of a calculated campaign to force him to resign from the council and lure him into defecting to TVK.
Describing the overtures to him as far more aggressive than traditional political manoeuvres, the MLA said: “It was not the horse trade, but the camel trade that was offered to me; it will never happen.”
According to the complaint filed on June 29 with the Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, Ilaiyaraaja stated that a person named Thirunavukkarasu had contacted him and claimed to be running a polling organization called Indian Political Democratic Strategies (IPDS), saying he was reaching out at the request of members of a major political party.
Nagendran also alleged that the law and order situation is deteriorating in the state, citing a case of alleged sexual assault in Ranipet.
“A 60-year-old woman was raped by a 23-year-old youth in Ranipet while she was under the influence of marijuana. Law and order is in disarray in Tamil Nadu,” Nagendran said.
But he stressed that the party’s intention was not to attack the government, but rather to perform its role as the opposition.
“We have no intention of criticizing the government. The real democratic duty of the opposition party is to point out possible mistakes,” he said.
The remarks come after the state BJP unit raised concerns over the law and order situation under the TVK-led government over the past few weeks.
