BJP's 'graft washing machine' now at work in TN too: DMK MP Kanimozhi

CHENNAI: DMK deputy general secretary and MP K Kanimozhi on Thursday criticised the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) for inducting former AIADMK Ministers facing corruption allegations into the party.

In a post on social media platform X, Kanimozhi took a veiled swipe at the ruling party, comparing it to the "washing machine" often used by the Opposition to describe the BJP's induction of leaders facing corruption cases.

"I heard that a washing machine has arrived in Tamil Nadu, similar to the one used in the north. They say this new Tamil Nadu model can even remove gutka stains. Is that true?" she wrote.

Her remarks were seen as an apparent reference to the induction of former Ministers C Vijayabaskar, who has been accused in a gutka scam. Meanwhile, anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam also criticised the ruling party over the induction of the former Ministers.

In a statement posted on X, the organisation alleged that C Vijayabaskar, during his tenure as Health Minister, had received Rs 14 lakh every month from the MDM Gutkha company as party funds. It further claimed that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) and the Income Tax Department had investigated the alleged irregularities.

Recalling Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's earlier statements that persons facing corruption charges would not be accommodated in public life, Arappor Iyakkam questioned whether the induction of the former ministers was consistent with that position.