Published Oct 08, 2026 | 9:30 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 08, 2026 | 9:30 AM
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay.
Synopsis: Ending corruption in Tamil Nadu was one of TVK’s promises during the poll campaign. After assuming power in May, the C Joseph Vijay-led government launched an anti-corruption drive to clean up the state’s bureaucracy. TVK cadres claim corruption has been eradicated, but ground reality suggests that while corruption and demands for bribes have declined, they haven’t been uprooted. Apparently, those who have tasted bribes are waiting in the wings, anticipating the anti-graft drive losing steam, especially since TVK inducted leaders with a corrupt past.
Vijay promised vettri (victory) to the people when he took charge of Tamil Nadu as its chief minister. During the 150 days in office, C Joseph Vijay — Thalapathy (commander or leader) to his fans — presented politics in a new form, alien to the two Dravidian parties that alternated at the helm in the South Indian state.
One promise Vijay’s nascent party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), made was to end corruption, rampant in Tamil Nadu. His party members have since claimed that Thalapathy mopped up corruption and ended it in the state.
Did he really end this deep-rooted bane, or are the claims of vettri over graft merely a smokescreen to pull the wool over people’s eyes? The response is mixed.
Chennai resident Kavitha is a happy woman today, especially after getting her property transferred without paying a penny. She claimed she had been greasing palms for the past decade to get the property transferred. However, nothing happened until TVK rode to power.
Some 600 kms from Chennai, in Thoothukudi, Lakshmi (name changed) has a different tale. She wanted to register a land parcel worth ₹1.5 lakh. She refused to pay the ₹20,000 bribe. The registration was delayed. After following up with the officials, she finally got the property registered.
Kavitha and Lakshmi’s claims were not independently verified.
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Kavitha owned ancestral land at Manali in the Tiruvallur district.
She claimed that she had been trying to transfer the ownership of the property for the past 10 years. “We were told that the land had been notified for the requirements of some government agency. We went to various government offices, obtained NOCs, and submitted them. But each time the NOC reached the tahsildar through a broker, it was returned saying that the land was notified,” she said.
Over the years, Kavitha’s family was sent back several times. They visited multiple government offices to know which department had claimed the land.
Eventually, they found that the land came under the Electricity Board. They approached the department and obtained a no-objection certificate stating that there was no restriction on the property.
Still, the process remained stuck.
Kavitha said that three tahsildars were transferred during the last one-and-a-half years at the Tiruvottiyur registration-related offices, and that her family finally managed to obtain the patta (land registration document) only after a prolonged struggle.
“Over the last one-and-a-half years, three Tahsildars were transferred. We lost more than ₹1 lakh in the process, and we received the patta only in January this year,” she said.
Even after obtaining the patta, Kavitha waited for a while before attempting to transfer the property in her family’s name. When she finally approached the registration department in August, the experience surprised her.
“We were given an appointment in September. Since it was an auspicious day, a huge crowd gathered. We completed all required procedures for the name transfer, went desk to desk, and finished the process. Not a single person asked us for even one rupee. It was a huge surprise,” she said.
Kavitha said that when she had previously approached lawyers for help with the process, some told her it could cost lakhs of rupees, while others quoted amounts running into thousands.
But eventually, she completed the entire process without paying a single rupee.
Lakshmi’s experience, however, was different.
She had approached the Murappanadu registration office in Thoothukudi to register a piece of land. She said an official demanded a ₹20,000 bribe.
Lakshmi did not disclose the official’s identity.
“The government value of my land is only around ₹1.5 lakh. The official asked me to pay ₹20,000. I clearly said I would not pay. The registration was delayed. But I continued to fight and eventually registered the land without paying the bribe,” she said.
According to anti-corruption social activists, the situation now is mixed.
On one hand, the routine practice of demanding bribes seems to have declined in some government offices, they said. In some other offices, officials still demand money.
There are also officials waiting to see whether the government’s anti-corruption push will continue, activists said.
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Deepak Sivakumar runs an online platform called Makkal Saatchi voluntarily. People from across Tamil Nadu regularly approach his platform with complaints about bribery and corruption.
He takes these complaints to the authorities through social media and other channels.
Speaking to South First, Sivakumar said the new government’s initial phase created the impression that it was taking the issue seriously, but that momentum has since weakened.
“When this government came to power, it initially appeared that things were being dealt with very seriously. But now that has reduced considerably. We cannot say that bribery has completely disappeared. It has reduced in one or two places, but officials are still taking bribes,” he said.
He has received complaints from people, particularly regarding bribery in government offices, including registration departments, as well as complaints concerning TASMAC outlets.
“Generally, I receive a large number of complaints about TASMAC outlets charging ₹10 extra. After this government came to power, this reduced for a period. But now, complaints about the extra ₹10 have started increasing again,” Sivakumar said.
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The TVK has been projecting itself “clean” as part of an image-building exercise.
Coordinator of Arappor Iyakkam Jayaraman Venkatesan wondered how long the image would last, especially since the TVK was inducting politicians with an alleged corrupt past.
Arappor Iyakkam is an organisation fighting graft.
“We have been hearing positive stories from various departments, including the registration department, about people getting their work done without paying bribes. At the same time, there are reports that bribes are still being collected in certain places,” Venkatesan said.
He said the chief minister’s anti-bribe diktat prevented many officials from collecting bribes and sending a share up the hierarchy.
However, he said bribery still exists, as demonstrated by the recent trap operations and arrests carried out by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC).
On 5 October, DVAC officials arrested revenue inspector Prashanth in Tambaram’s Sitalapakkam for allegedly accepting a ₹4,000 bribe to transfer a patta.
Social activists pointed out that such arrests have increased recently, creating fear among government officials.
Kavitha said she witnessed the DVAC impact at the registration office.
“When we went there, we heard that a DVAC raid was on at another registration office nearby. The officials at the registration office told people that if anyone was carrying a large amount of cash, they should not come inside because DVAC officials might wrongly assume that the money had been brought to pay a bribe,” she said.
But Venkatesan felt the fear would not last long.
Officials, he said, could eventually adopt a “waiting game”, watching how the government responds before deciding whether to resume their old ways.
“That is why we are insisting that this needs to be made systemic. Government offices must be changed in a way that allows ordinary people to access services easily. Only then can this change be sustained in the long term,” he said.
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Corruption allegations were rampant under previous governments.
Several ministers in the previous DMK government faced corruption allegations, many of which are now being raised by ministers in the TVK government.
Venkatesan said indications suggested a dip in demand for party funds from contractors by ministers in several departments.
“Over the past three months, we can see that demands for party funds from contractors and the collection of bribes by ministers have reduced in several departments. But we do not know how long that will last. Ministers too may be playing a waiting game,” he said.
He added that his organisation recently received reports of senior officials in two departments demanding bribes.
“We do not want to make those allegations public without knowing whether they are from ministers or officials,” he said.
The buzz in the Secretariat said contractors are still being asked for bribes, but more discreetly and without the kind of pressure seen earlier.
At the same time, Venkatesan said the number of people participating in tender competitions for contracts in corporations and other government bodies has increased.
But once again, he questioned how long the “clean” trend would continue.
One concern, he said, was the TVK inducting corruption-accused former ministers and political leaders from previous governments.
“TVK has become a party that has undergone political degradation very rapidly. By bringing in people from other parties who already face corruption allegations, the party has damaged its image. Once these people join, they will soon establish control over their respective districts. Before that happens, we are fighting to convert the current situation against bribery and corruption into a systemic change,” Venkatesan said.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
