Published Sep 07, 2026 | 12:30 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 07, 2026 | 12:30 PM
Uproar in Tamil Nadu Assembly. (Supplied)
Synopsis: Vijay alleged that the document named Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and several others as alleged direct beneficiaries. These allegations were presented by Vijay while referring to the contents of the Enforcement Directorate document; the claims were not independently established in his speech. Following Vijay’s speech, DMK members continued to raise slogans in the Assembly. However, with the Speaker not allowing the Leader of the Opposition to speak, DMK members staged a walkout from the Assembly.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday, 7 September, levelled a series of corruption allegations against the previous DMK regime, citing documents purportedly sent by the Enforcement Directorate to the former government.
He placed before the Assembly a new document that he said had been sent by the ED to the previous DMK government and read out portions of it.
Referring to the Sarkaria Commission report, Vijay alleged that it had recorded an instance in which a relative of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had demanded a 2.5 percent commission for awarding a tender.
He further alleged that the report stated that then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had misused his office to facilitate the award of a tender to the Sathyanarayana Brothers group and had pressured then Chief Engineer Hussain in connection with it.
Vijay said the references were relevant because the DMK had repeatedly spoken about its political legacy.
According to Vijay’s reading of the document, the Enforcement Directorate had referred to alleged payments ranging from 7.5 to 10 percent of the value of individual tenders being collected as “party funds”.
He specifically referred to tenders in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply departments, alleging that money had been collected in the name of party funds.
Vijay alleged that the document named Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and several others as alleged direct beneficiaries. These allegations were presented by Vijay while referring to the contents of the Enforcement Directorate document; the claims were not independently established in his speech.
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Vijay also levelled allegations against former minister V. Senthil Balaji, claiming that the Enforcement Directorate had stated that he misused his ministerial position from 2021 onwards with what it described as a “dishonest intention” and was involved in a criminal conspiracy.
He alleged that during the previous government, when the TASMAC portfolio was under Senthil Balaji, certain officials and private individuals were involved in the functioning of the system.
Vijay specifically referred to a person named Ratheesh, whom he said had been described by the Enforcement Directorate as a “central figure” and an “unauthorised power broker”.
He questioned who the individual was and whom he was close to, and claimed that the person had gone into hiding in Dubai after the change in government.
Vijay also alleged that Senthil Balaji’s brother Ashok Kumar had intervened in TASMAC-related matters.
The Chief Minister further alleged that political intermediaries operating around Coimbatore and Karur had collected money from bars.
He said the Enforcement Directorate had referred to this group as the “Karur gang”.
Vijay also alleged that the Enforcement Directorate had described the activities as an organised system, arguing that the alleged illegal practices were carried out in a structured manner. He characterised this as what he called “scientific corruption”.
Vijay listed terms he said were used in the Enforcement Directorate material to describe the alleged activities, including “malpractice”, “fraud”, “misusing and abusing power”, “manipulation”, “Karur gang”, “organised crime syndicate”, “dishonest intention” and “corrupt”.
Vijay said the documents he had referred to related to only two departments and asked what the situation would look like if files relating to the remaining departments were also made public.
“Are these pieces of evidence not enough?” he asked.
He also hit back at the DMK’s repeated assertion that wrongdoing would not take place wherever the party was in power.
“They say that wherever the DMK is, there will be no wrongdoing. But wrongdoing happens where the DMK is,” Vijay said.
He added that whenever allegations of corruption were raised, the response was to demand evidence. However, he claimed that the party had not categorically stated that no corruption had taken place under its government.
Vijay’s remarks are likely to intensify the political confrontation between the ruling establishment and the DMK, with corruption allegations, political rhetoric and standards of public discourse emerging as major points of contention in the Assembly.
He also called for greater political decency and restraint in public discourse, particularly in the way women and individuals are spoken about in the name of freedom of expression.
Speaking in the Assembly, Vijay said freedom of expression could not be used as a justification for making personal and degrading remarks against women or other individuals.
“Politics can be discussed in any manner, but no one should be personally abused or defamed,” he said, stressing the need to maintain political decency and decorum.
The Chief Minister said there had recently been an “obscene stream” of political discourse in Tamil Nadu, with several people making derogatory remarks against women. Such remarks, he said, should be avoided and warned that the law would take its course against those who crossed the limits.
Referring to former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, Vijay said the Assembly itself had witnessed the humiliation she faced as a woman and said such incidents should never be repeated against any woman.
He also criticised what he described as increasingly violent political rhetoric. Referring to remarks attributed to an MLA mentioned during Markandeyan’s speech, Vijay said a legislator had spoken of breaking someone’s bones inside the Assembly “like an orthopaedic doctor”.
He said such rhetoric had contributed to the political situation witnessed today, adding that people had been observing such statements and conduct.
DMK members subsequently expressed their opposition to his remarks.
“I have not come here to advise the DMK. This is the reality,” Vijay said.
He also referred to remarks allegedly made by another senior DMK leader that people who did not vote for the party would not have a “good death”.
Questioning how such words could come from senior political leaders, Vijay said politicians should respect the verdict of the people.
He criticised the tendency among senior leaders to dismiss such remarks by saying, “Is this a mistake? Haven’t we spoken like this before?”
Vijay said political discourse based on abusive and defamatory language was no longer acceptable and called for a return to political decency and legislative decorum.
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Chief Minister responding to the Opposition during the Assembly debate on the demands for grants for the Police and Fire and Rescue Services departments, said his government would listen to the concerns raised by all legislators and take constructive action wherever possible.
Vijay said every legislator in the House was voicing the concerns of the people of their respective constituencies and that genuine leadership meant listening carefully to those concerns and responding responsibly.
He thanked the Speaker for explaining to the Opposition the reasons behind the government’s patience during the proceedings.
“The Opposition leadership spoke in the House and we listened fully. They too should listen to us fully. That is what we said earlier,” Vijay said.
He added that his government would not merely respond to questions raised by legislators but would also take constructive action on issues brought to its attention.
Vijay criticised the DMK for alleging that schemes had been renamed or cancelled by the present government.
He said that after the DMK came to power in 2021, several welfare schemes implemented by the earlier government were discontinued, and questioned the reasons behind those cancellations.
Among the schemes he listed were the “Thalikku Thangam” scheme, the Amma Two-Wheeler Scheme, the free distribution of goats and cows scheme and the Amma Mini Clinic scheme.
He also criticised the DMK government for discontinuing the free laptop scheme for nearly four-and-a-half years and alleged that it was revived only around the election, with implementation taking place during the final few months.
Vijay further alleged that several projects that had been sanctioned, inaugurated or initiated by the government before 2021 were subsequently cancelled by the DMK government.
Citing Villupuram district as an example, Vijay said several projects worth hundreds of crores had been cancelled.
He referred to a ₹1,500-crore desalination project for converting seawater into drinking water, for which he said the foundation stone had been laid, as well as a ₹235-crore fishing harbour project at Azhagan Kuppam.
He also alleged that Dr J. Jayalalithaa University, which had been established and was functioning in Villupuram district, was subsequently closed by the DMK government.
“If you list all the projects cancelled by your government across the State, after conducting so many programmes in just one district, it would take an entire day,” Vijay said.
Vijay also hit out at the Opposition for attempting to lecture the government on policing and law and order.
He said there was nothing wrong with offering advice to the police, but those giving the advice should also examine their own record while in government.
Vijay said the people of Tamil Nadu had not forgotten the law-and-order problems, the spread of drug culture and questions surrounding the safety of women and children during the previous five-year DMK government.
He also attacked the DMK’s historical record on prohibition.
Referring to the decision to withdraw prohibition in 1971, Vijay asked who had expanded the availability of liquor across Tamil Nadu by arguing that neighbouring States were earning revenue through liquor sales while Tamil Nadu was losing revenue.
He also accused the DMK of contributing to the deterioration of families through alcohol and alleged that the party had also been responsible for the exploitation of natural resources.
“Who is the answer to all these questions? The DMK,” Vijay said.
He argued that the State had inherited administrative problems accumulated over several decades and that his government needed adequate time and firm action to correct them.
Vijay said the government was working to address these longstanding issues and reminded the DMK and the Opposition leadership that Tamil Nadu voters had not forgotten the previous government’s record.
“The memory of the people of Tamil Nadu is very strong,” he said, adding that the people had already given their response through the electoral verdict.
Vijay also accused the previous DMK government of political interference in policing and alleged that complaints involving ruling-party functionaries were sometimes not immediately converted into FIRs.
He said Opposition parties and various sections of society had previously alleged that action was delayed in cases involving ruling-party figures.
Vijay said his government could produce a long list of such cases but would cite only a few examples.
He referred to the case involving Cuddalore DMK MP T.R.P. Rajesh and an employee, Govindaraj, at a cashew processing unit allegedly owned by the MP. Vijay said the death had initially been portrayed as a suicide and that the MP was arrested only later, on October 11, 2021, following strong criticism.
He also referred to a sexual assault allegation involving the son of a DMK functionary in Virudhunagar district and said a case was registered and the accused arrested only after widespread criticism.
Vijay further cited the 2022 incident involving a woman police officer deployed for security at a DMK public meeting. He alleged that DMK youth-wing functionary Praveen and another party member, Ekambaram, had misbehaved with the woman officer and that pressure had been exerted after she lodged a complaint.
He also referred to an incident at the Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai during the Arudra festival, alleging that DMK executive committee member Sridharan and his wife were not arrested while a temple employee was arrested in connection with the incident.
Vijay additionally cited the case involving a domestic worker employed at the residence of the son of former Pallavaram DMK MLA M. Karunanithi. He alleged that action in the case was delayed despite criticism in the media and on social media, and that the MLA’s son and daughter-in-law were arrested only several days after the case was registered.
Vijay said delays in registering FIRs in cases involving ruling-party functionaries had become a pattern during the previous DMK regime.
He referred to a case involving allegations of irregularities in recruitment in the Tamil Nadu government administration department, in which a former minister and his brother were among those facing allegations. Vijay said the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption had been directed to register a case but that the matter was allegedly delayed in the name of a preliminary inquiry.
He also cited a January 31, 2025, Madras High Court proceeding concerning a complaint at the Virugambakkam police station, alleging that the court had strongly criticised the delay in registering an FIR and directed the then Home Secretary to appear and explain the matter.
Vijay also referred to the March 10, 2026 case involving a 17-year-old girl from Vedanatham village near Vilathikulam in Thoothukudi district, who went missing and was later found to have been sexually assaulted and murdered. He alleged that the FIR in the case was registered with delay.
Vijay contrasted these allegations with what he described as his government’s policy of taking action without political discrimination.
He said accused persons would face legal action irrespective of whether they belonged to the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam or any other political party.
Referring to a list of cases against TVK functionaries that had been read out by the Opposition, Vijay said the government had not hesitated to register cases when allegations were received.
He cited cases in Thoothukudi, Chennai, Mylapore, Alandur, Ranipet and Salem, claiming that FIRs were registered promptly and arrests made wherever necessary.
In some cases, he said, investigations were continuing because of conflicting statements from those involved and the authorities were attempting to establish the facts.
Vijay said that wherever allegations warranted action, his government had registered cases, made arrests where necessary and, in certain cases, taken organisational action including removal from the party.
Concluding his response to the debate on the demands for grants, Vijay said he had examined the cut motions submitted by legislators concerning Demand No. 22 for the Police Department and Demand No. 23 for the Fire and Rescue Services Department.
He said the government would consider the demands if they fell within the applicable rules and could be implemented within the State’s financial capacity.
Vijay appealed to the legislators to accept the explanations given in his response and withdraw their cut motions.
He reiterated that his government would not merely provide verbal responses to issues raised in the Assembly but would take constructive action based on the concerns voiced by elected representatives.
Following Chief Minister Vijay’s speech, DMK members continued to raise slogans in the Assembly. However, with the Speaker not allowing the Leader of the Opposition to speak, DMK members staged a walkout from the Assembly.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Subash Chandra Bose)
