The caolition government of Chief Minister Vijay-led ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) came under threat in Tamil Nadu as the allegations of attempted “horse-trading” emerged against the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
The DMK has denied the allegations and responded with counter allegations, accusing the ruling party of attempting to induce its legislators.
The controversy began with a complaint by a TVK MLA N Elaiyaraja alleging that he was offered money to vote in a particular manner in the Assembly. Since then, the case has led to the arrest of three people, while both parties have continued to level allegations and counter allegations.
How Did The Controversy Begin?
The row traces its origins to a complaint filed by TVK MLA N Elaiyaraja on June 29, alleging that a man identified as Thirunavukkarasu contacted Elaiyaraja claiming to represent Indian Political Democratic Strategies (IPDS) and said he was reaching out on behalf of members of a major political party.
Elaiyaraja alleged that he was asked to vote in a particular manner during a proposed resolution against the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and was offered up to Rs 35 crore in return.
The MLA further alleged that he was threatened after refusing the offer and warned against disclosing the conversation.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case at Chennai's D1 Triplicane Police Station and began an investigation.
Arrests and Widening of Row
Police arrested three people in the case: Thirunavukkarasu, Naresh from Tiruchirappalli and Thiyagarajan from Chennai.
According to a police statement, investigators found that Naresh had allegedly met V Ashok Kumar, brother of former DMK minister and Coimbatore South MLA V Senthil Balaji, in Chennai.
Police said preliminary inquiries suggested that Thirunavukkarasu had allegedly acted on instructions linked to Senthil Balaji and Ashok Kumar. The investigation is continuing.
TVK Alleges Attempt to ‘Topple’ Government
Following the arrests, Tamil Nadu minister P Nirmal Kumar alleged that the DMK had been attempting to poach TVK MLAs for the past 40 days.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Kumar alleged that DMK president MK Stalin was trying to "topple the government" in collaboration with AIADMK after failing to accept the people's verdict in the Assembly elections.
"We strongly condemn this act. Stalin has already lost his own constituency, and even in Kolathur, he suffered a major setback,” he said.
DMK Dubs Allegations as ‘Baseless’
DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan questioned why the party would attempt to buy a single TVK MLA, arguing that such a move would not help the party form a government.
"There is some game behind this action. DMK has never been involved in purchasing MLAs from TVK. Somebody is telling a lie," Elangovan said.
Apart from rejecting the allegations, the DMK has levelled counter-allegations against the ruling party.
DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi urged Governor R N Ravi to order a probe into allegations that two MDMK MLAs had been approached. He also demanded that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption register an FIR.
Ex-AIADMK MLAs Joins TVK
Amid the the horse trading row between DMK and TVK, former AIADMK ministers C Vijayabaskar, M R Vijayabaskar and M S M Anandan joined the ruling party, further weakening the Edappadi K Palaniswami position in the party.
The leaders said the decision to join TVK was taken after consulting their supporters and expressed confidence in Vijay's leadership. Anandan also rejected allegations of "horse-trading", stating that their move to the party was voluntary.
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), has called for a thorough investigation into allegations of attempts to lure MLAs with money and urged the Tamil Nadu government to ensure strict legal action against anyone found guilty.
