Claiming that top guns of DMK and their family members, including those related to Chief Minister M K Stalin, own assets worth Rs 1.32 lakh crore, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Friday released the first part of ‘DMK Files’ and asserted that he will expose corruption of all political parties that have ruled the state so far, which includes ally AIADMK as well.
Posing a slew of questions to Stalin, including on the assets owned by his son Udhayanidhi and son-in-law Sabareesan Vedamoorthy, Annamalai said he will embark on a state-wide padayatra En Mann, En Makkal(My land, my people) in the month of June to create awareness about the “corruption” by DMK and to herald a “healthy political environment” in Tamil Nadu.
The key takeaway of the 15-minute video and Annamalai’s press conference, in which he refused to take questions from the media, is his painting both the DMK and ally AIADMK with the same corruption brush. The ex- IPS officer’s indirect attack on AIADMK is significant as it further exposes the chinks with the alliance, which is under strain for the past one month.
Annamalai has been pushing the BJP top brass in New Delhi to snap ties with AIADMK, and his speech on Friday had ample hints that he has not changed his stance. “The DMK files will not end with Part-1. We will expose corruption details of every party that has governed Tamil Nadu before the 2024 election. When I talk about corruption, I cannot target one party and leave another,” he said, taking a swipe at the AIADMK.
Alleging that 11 top leaders of the DMK like Stalin and his family members, Kanimozhi, Dayanidhi Maran, T R Baalu, Durai Murugan, K Ponmudy, and E V Velu and their relatives are worth Rs 1.32 lakh crore, the BJP chief said the above mentioned amount was derived by evaluating assets owned by them and didn’t take black money or benami properties into account.
He also alleged that the DMK government in 2010 tweaked a tender issued by the Chennai Metro Rail Corporation (CMRL) to favour Alstom to emerge successful in the bid following which the party received Rs 200 crore for the 2011 elections. Annamalai said he will complain to the CBI seeking to probe the case, adding that Alstom was under investigation for corruption in the US.
Posing four questions to DMK, Annamalai sought to know how did the worth of Red Giant Pictures, owned by Udhayanidhi, rose from a mere Rs 300 crore in 2008 to Rs 2,010 crore in 2023, why is Sabareesan engaged in businesses with people who are accused of money laundering, why Udhayanidhi and another party leader Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi resigned from a company which signed an MoU with Tamil Nadu government in 2022.
“The Chief Minister should answer why two shell companies (associated with Alstom) donated Rs 200 crore to the DMK for the 2011 elections. He should also answer the (abovesaid) three questions,” Annamalai said, adding that he will release the details of corruption in five phases.
In its reaction, the DMK termed Annamalai’s allegations as a “joke” and asked him to come out with proof within the next 15 days.
“Where is the allegation of corruption? Where is the proof? The leaders against whom allegations have been levelled will move courts. When it happens, Annamalai will only keep travelling from one place to another only to appear before the judiciary,” party organising secretary R S Bharathi said. On the allegation regarding the CMRL tender, Bharati sought to know what was the BJP government at the Centre doing since 2014 if there were truth in the claims made by Annamalai. Senior leader Durai Murugan also dismissed the allegations levelled against Stalin and others, while Bharathi claimed Annamalai was trying to divert attention from Adani and Arudhra chit fund scam.
Annamalai said the second part of the DMK Files series will “expose” the details of black money held by leaders and their family members. On the proposed padayatra, Annamalai said he will start walking from mid-June to meet people and convince them of the need for a new political environment in the state.
“The commanders of Modi ji will travel across the state to meet the people. We will meet the people at their villages and home,” Annamalai added. In his press conference, the TN BJP chief also showed the “bill’ for his Rafale watch which led to a major row in December 2022.
He said he bought the watch for Rs 3.5 lakh from his friend Cheralathan in Coimbatore and continues to wear it to flaunt his nationalist credentials.
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