Responding to Mr Annamalaai’s allegations, DMK MP RS Bharathi said it was “a joke”.
Chennai:
Releasing what he calls the “DMK files”, Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K Annamalai today made public a long list of assets worth Rs 1.34 lakh crore which he claims are owned by key DMK leaders including Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son and Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, and other ministers including Durai Murugan, EV Velu, K Ponmudy, V Senthil Balaji, and former Union Minister S Jagathrakshakan.
Specifically targeting Chief Minister MK Stalin, Mr Annamalai alleged he was paid a bribe of two hundred crore rupees for favouring a company to secure the contract for Chennai Metro Rail ahead of the 2011 assembly elections when DMK was in power. “The payments were paid through shell companies,” he alleged. In the US, he added, “that company was investigated for bribery”.
Explaining the way valuations are done in computing the worth of assets, he also mentioned details of assets many of the DMK leaders had declared in their electoral affidavits.
Mr Annamalai would take questions only after a week, so “journalists could verify”.
On funding his expensive, controversial, Bell and Ross watch, Mr Annamalai claims he bought it from a friend Cheralathan in May 2021 for three lakh rupees, who he knew for two years then. While he produced a receipt of purchase by Cheralathan, he gave no proof of payment for his purchase. Minister for Power Senthil Balaji had demanded the receipt of this watch a few months ago, which provoked Mr Annamamalai to release details of assets owned by DMK leaders.
On how the former IPS officer manages his expenses, Mr Annamalai said “I require seven to eight lakh for expenses every month. I manage with help from friends and the party. My house rent is paid by a friend. Others help with the salary for my staff. You can see my bank statement and credit card statement. It’s a challenge for a first-generation politician like me”.
Responding to Mr Annamalaai’s allegations, DMK MP RS Bharathi said it was “a joke”.
“There is not a single allegation of payment of bribe. All candidates he has listed have given their asset details in their affidavits. If there is even one violation, any citizen can challenge the election,” he said.
On the valuation Mr Annamalai has computed, Mr Bharathi said, “LIC building was built for Rs 87 crore decades ago. Now it’s worth thousands of crore. All our leaders will move court, and he would have to keep appearing in courts”.
RS Bharathi challenged the BJP leader to file cases against them to prove Rs 200 crore bribery allegations.
“Annamalai is attempting to divert attention from the Hindenburg report on Adani, and the Arudhra scam,” he said.
On alleged corruption in Chennai metro rail, he asked what the central probe agency CBI was doing since 2014.
“Annamalai’s allegations won’t affect DMK’s prospects, it will only help us win all 40 seats,” he said, and questioned what Mr Annamalai owns “if he gets everything from others”.
“I challenge Annamalai to produce documents of DMK-owned schools, and colleges he has mentioned in 15 days,” Mr Bharathi said.
