TANJAVUR: Senior DMK leader A Raja challenged his critics to find a single dollar of illicit funds against his family allegedly hidden in offshore wealth and said he was ready to go to prison if the claims were proven true.
Recalling decades of Tamil Nadu's political history, he also mounted a fierce defense of the Dravidian model of governance while launching a scathing attack on contemporary political opponents and media narratives.
"I challenge anyone to find even a single dollar hidden abroad in my family's name. If anyone can prove these fabricated charges true, I am prepared to go to jail immediately," Raja, the former telecom minister acquitted by a Delhi court in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case, said.
Addressing a public gathering on Saturday night, Raja invoked the legacies of Dravidian stalwarts EVK Ramasamy Periyar, C N Annadurai and M Karunanidhi.
He reminded the audience that while central leaders claim credit for recent rural electrification, Tamil Nadu had achieved 100 per cent village electrification as early as 1970-71 under the then chief minister Karunanidhi's visionary leadership.
From abolishing hand-pulled rickshaws to pioneering free electricity for farmers and securing land deeds for the landless in the Thanjavur Delta alongside Communist pioneers like Manalikandasamy, Raja painted a picture of a state built on structural compassion and social justice.
Turning his gaze toward historic political resilience, the former union minister recalled the dark days of the "Emergency".
He said DMK chief M K Stalin was brutalised under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) when he was 24-year-old.
"When Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) visited his jailed son and asked if the police had beaten him, Stalin hid his severe injuries to protect his father and said, I am not important. Save Indian democracy," Raja recounted, claiming the deep-rooted sacrifices.
Raja also navigated complex inter-state water disputes, focusing on the Mekedatu and Cauvery tribunal issues, while calling for a return to the political dignity and mutual respect historically exhibited by past leaders like K Kamaraj, M G Ramachandran and Karunanidhi.
He asserted that the principles of self-respect, linguistic pride, and social justice will govern Tamil Nadu as long as the state exists.