The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) have leveled serious horse trading allegations against each other in Tamil Nadu, following the arrest of four individuals for attempting to poach a TVK legislator. The controversy erupted on Wednesday when TVK Uthangarai MLA N Ilayaraja filed a complaint stating he was contacted by a man named Thirunavukkarasu, who allegedly offered him Rs 35 crore to vote against the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker during a proposed motion of confidence.
Arrests and Police Investigation
Acting on the complaint, Chennai's D1 Triplicane Police Station registered a case and arrested four suspects: Thirunavukkarasu, Naresh, Thiyagarajan, and Krishnan. According to a police statement, one of the arrested, Naresh from Trichy, had met former minister V Senthil Balaji’s brother V Ashok Kumar in Chennai. Preliminary inquiries suggest that Balaji and his brother were behind Thirunavukkarasu's contact with MLA Ilayaraja. Police are also examining phone conversations to determine how many legislators were approached.
TVK's Allegations Against DMK
TVK leaders claim that 10 to 12 of their MLAs were contacted, with middlemen allegedly offering each MLA Rs 15 crore or more. Electricity Minister R Nirmal Kumar questioned, "Why are MK Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin so desperate to topple the TVK government?" He stated that several TVK MLAs were approached with promises of up to Rs 50 crore. The party has linked the alleged poaching attempt to former minister V Senthil Balaji, a prominent DMK figure.
DMK's Counter-Allegations
In response, DMK organizing secretary RS Bharathi submitted a complaint to Governor RV Arlekar, accusing Chief Minister Vijay of attempting to induce two DMK MLAs to resign. The two MLAs in question—TM Rajendran (Kadayanallur) and Senthilselvan (Sirkazhi)—were from the MDMK, which contested on the DMK's 'rising sun' symbol in the assembly election. Although MDMK recently left the DMK front and supported TVK, these two MLAs refused to resign. Bharathi alleged that CM Vijay promised MDMK chief Vaiko that if the MLAs resigned, they would be re-elected in by-elections with government monetary assistance, constituting horse trading to reduce DMK's assembly strength.
Political Context and Ongoing Inquiry
The MDMK had quit the DMK-led alliance and extended support to TVK, but the two MLAs remained with DMK. TVK MLAs are expected to provide statements as part of the ongoing inquiry. The political standoff highlights the fragile nature of the ruling coalition and the intense rivalry between TVK and DMK in Tamil Nadu's assembly.
