Conspiracy to topple Vijay’s TVK govt in Tamil Nadu:Party claims bribes offered to persuade 15 MLAs to resign

Tamil Nadu’s intelligence department has claimed to have foiled an alleged plot to destabilise the state government after claims that TVK legislators were offered bribes to trigger a political crisis. According to party sources, the alleged conspiracy involved persuading 15 Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) MLAs to resign simultaneously in an attempt to bring down the government. TVK MLA Dr N Elaiyaraja, who represents Uthangarai, filed a police complaint alleging he was offered ₹35 crore to vote in favour of a no-confidence motion against the Speaker. Following the complaint, investigators arrested three employees of a Chennai-based consultancy firm (Thirunavukkarasu, Naresh and Thyagarajan). During the investigation, authorities said information had emerged suggesting the three had links to DMK MLA Senthil Balaji. The allegations remain under investigation. Offered ₹35 crores: MLA According to a complaint filed by Dr N Elaiyaraja with the Chennai Police Commissioner on 29 June, he received a phone call from a man identifying himself as Thirunavukkarasu. The caller claimed to head an opinion polling organisation, Indian Political Democratic Strategies (IPDS), and said he was acting on behalf of members of a major political party. Elaiyaraja alleged that Thirunavukkarasu told him a motion would be brought against the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker and urged him to vote in a particular way despite being a member of the ruling party. In return, the caller allegedly offered him up to ₹35 crore. The MLA said he immediately rejected the offer and instructed the caller not to contact him again. He further alleged that Thirunavukkarasu threatened him, warning that he and his family would face serious consequences if he disclosed the conversation. DMK leaders are in contact with our MLAs: Kumar Tamil Nadu Minister CT Nirmal Kumar accused the DMK of conspiring with AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami to bring down the Vijay-led government, alleging that several TVK MLAs had been offered large sums of money to defect. “Edappadi K Palaniswami and others are trying to form a government through clandestine means. What we are witnessing today is the result of that. Acting at the behest of MK Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin, senior DMK leaders, including Senthil Balaji, have been contacting many of our MLAs. They are offering between ₹20 crore and ₹50 crore to induce them to switch sides. There is not a single one of our MLAs who has not been approached,” Kumar alleged. TVK is building a narrative: DMK: DMK spokesperson A. Saravanan dismissed the allegations, accusing TVK of attempting to sensationalise the investigation by selectively leaking information to the public. “This only shows that they have no understanding of the facts and are fabricating a story. If they have credible evidence, they should arrest Senthil Balaji and prove their claims,” Saravanan said. He also claimed that relations between Vijay and Senthil Balaji had long been strained. Balaji, a former Tamil Nadu minister, hails from Karur, where a stampede broke out during one of Vijay’s election rallies. Following the incident, Vijay alleged that Balaji had orchestrated the chaos to tarnish his image, an accusation Balaji denied. Public support was with DMK: Stalin Recently, Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin claimed that TVK lacked the public mandate and legislative strength to govern on its own, arguing that the party did not command a majority in the Assembly and was dependent on the support of its allies. He said the electorate had backed his party in the election and that the current government had been formed through a coalition with the support of other political parties. Taking aim at the Vijay-led administration, Udhayanidhi said the present arrangement was unlikely to remain sustainable for long.