CHENNAI: The BJP state unit on Friday lambasted the ruling DMK government after the Madras High Court directed the State's Department of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to register an FIR against Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru in an alleged multi-crore bribery case linked to job appointments.
In a statement, BJP national general council member K Annamalai welcomed the court's order and said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had written to the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and the DVAC in October last year seeking registration of a case against the Minister.
He alleged that in December, the ED again sought an FIR, citing bribery of nearly Rs 1,020 crore in the award of contracts in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply department. In January, the central agency purportedly forwarded documentary evidence relating to another alleged bribe of Rs 365 crore connected to transfers and postings.
"Despite repeated communications backed by evidence, the DMK government kept all three letters pending for months, " Annamalai said, asking what explanation Chief Minister MK Stalin would offer for not acting earlier. He demanded immediate registration of FIRs in the contract and transfer-related cases, contending that failure to do so would raise serious questions about accountability.
Senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan alleged that the government was deflecting corruption charges by terming central agency action as political vendetta. She claimed the alleged irregularities in a single department pointed to deeper governance concerns and called for a change in administration to safeguard public funds.