DMK govt poisoning State with corruption, says BJP

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Friday alleged that the MK Stalin government in Tamil Nadu is “poisoning the state with corruption” and said the party will seek a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the Chennai Metro Rail project.

Addressing a press conference here, BJP national spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam alleged the ruling DMK has been making “shameful attempts” of finding new means of money laundering and ways to hide the money made through unfair practices.

“Tamil Nadu is a state with great culture and rich heritage. But, unfortunately, the DMK government is poisoning this state with corruption,” he alleged.

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, who is “a very trusted lieutenant” of the Chief Minister, has said that Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin and son-in-law V Sabareesan “together made Rs 30,000 crore just in a year”, he charged and played an audio clip of a purported conversation between Rajan and a journalist.

Sabareesan has set up two companies in the UK which are nothing but means to route the “ill-gotten wealth”, Islam alleged.

Alleging irregularities in the Chennai Metro Rail project, he claimed that Rs 200 crore was given to the ruling DMK in exchange for awarding work to a company.

“It was a big corruption at that time... As our state BJP president (Annamalai) has said, information is being given to the CBI. We will request that the CBI investigate it. Annamalai has said he is seeking an appointment with the CBI,” Islam added.

He said the “DMK Files”, released by Annamalai last week in Tamil Nadu, documented well the corruption and amassing of wealth by the DMK leaders through unfair practices.

Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK youth wing chief and Tamil Nadu minister, on Wednesday, sent a legal notice to Annamalai over the allegations made by him in the “DMK Files,” demanding him to pay Rs 50 crore as damages, besides an unconditional apology.

The DMK has already sent Annamalai a Rs 500 crore legal notice allegedly for making “baseless” allegations against the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.