Published Jun 24, 2026 | 3:26 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 24, 2026 | 3:26 PM
Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu (Left) feels CM Vijay is ushering in a "refreshing change".
Synopsis: The new Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay had promised that he would end corruption when he came to power. Now, noted businessman Sridhar Vembu has come forward with a “refreshing” experience of his that has gone viral on X.
Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has turned the spotlight back on corruption at even the highest levels of government in Tamil Nadu with a tweet on Wednesday.
“Our rural school Kalaivani Kalvi Maiyam, which provides completely free education to rural children, faced delays getting approvals from the previous government,” Vembu tweeted.
“Of course, significant money was demanded and we were told that was the only way, even if it is a completely free school,” he alleged.
Vembu said it was only after Vijay’s TVK government came to power that approvals began to be granted “quickly and automatically.”
“I am very happy to appreciate this positive development in our state,” Vembu tweeted, while thanking the new Chief Minister “for this refreshing change”.
His tweet quickly went viral on X and also attracted many responses.
“Appreciating the quick action for Sridhar Vembu’s school, but true systemic reform means fixing the process for everyone, not just high-profile cases,” Majilesh, who identifies himself as a builder focused on AI systems, software and product development based in Sydney, responded.
What happens to the rural schools without a massive X platform? How do they gain the CM’s attention? he asked.
Vembu was quick to reply and clarify that he had followed the normal application process when the DMK regime was in power and endured the delays and “demands”. The approvals that had been left pending then but came through automatically once CM Vijay’s government came to power, he said.
This was why he was “thanking the new government in public”, Vembu stated, while adding that he has been hearing “of similar positive experiences” from many others.
An X user named J Kannan, hailing from Tiruchi, suggested to Vembu that “it would be better if you specifically mention who asked for the money, rather than vaguely stating that ‘money was asked for’ during the previous government.” The Zoho founder did not respond immediately to the request.
Another user going by the name of the Iranian prophet and founder of Zoroastrianism, Zarathushtra, concluded pithily that “if TVK manages to root out day-to-day corruption” by even 70%, they would have pulled off a feat that had not been possible in the last 40-50 years in Tamil Nadu.
Also Read: Vijay may soon discover that defeating Dravidian parties is easier than replacing them
(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
