‘Was supplied Rs 35 crore’: TVK MLA alleges political horse-trading; 3 arrested, V Senthil Balaji named | India Information
NEW DELHI: The Tamil Nadu Police arrested 3 folks over an alleged horse-trading bid geared toward destabilising Vijay-led authorities. The motion adopted allegations by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) MLA N Ilaiyaraja, who claimed he was supplied Rs 35 crore to affect his vote on a proposed meeting decision in opposition to the Home Speaker.The investigation has additionally named former DMK minister V Senthil Balaji and his brother, V Ashok Kumar, as allegedly being linked to the conspiracy, in line with a police press launch issued on Wednesday.In keeping with the criticism filed by Ilaiyaraja with the Chennai Police Commissioner on June 29, a person recognized as Thirunavukkarasu contacted him claiming to move an opinion polling organisation known as Indian Political Democratic Methods (IPDS) and stated he was reaching out on behalf of members of a significant political get together.The caller allegedly later advised the TVK legislator {that a} decision can be moved in opposition to the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative meeting and requested him to vote in a specific method regardless of being a member of the ruling get together. In return, he allegedly supplied Ilaiyaraja as much as Rs 35 crore.The MLA alleged that he rejected the provide and requested the caller to not contact him once more. Nonetheless, Thirunavukkarasu allegedly threatened him, warning that he and his household would face penalties if he disclosed the dialog.Police stated the investigation later revealed that V Ashok Kumar, the brother of former DMK minister and Coimbatore South MLA V Senthil Balaji, had met Naresh in Chennai. Investigators additional alleged that Thirunavukkarasu contacted Ilaiyaraja on the behest of Senthil Balaji and Ashok Kumar.Tamil Nadu minister P Nirmal Kumar claimed that DMK was making an attempt to poach MLAs from the ruling half for the “final 40 days”.“We have now been saying repeatedly for the final 40 days that the DMK, Stalin, and his crew have been making an attempt to poach our MLAs. Just a few days in the past, certainly one of our MLAs was threatened by DMK members. This was backed by Senthil Balaji and his brother, Ashok,” ANI quoted him saying.“With their help, they allegedly supplied round Rs 35 crore to certainly one of our MLAs and requested him to vote in opposition to TVK when a no-confidence movement in opposition to the Speaker is introduced. That was their request. When he refused, he was allegedly threatened severely by DMK members. He has filed a criticism together with all of the proof. Based mostly on this, the police have arrested three individuals. All three are shut aides of Senthil Balaji,” he added.The case comes months after the 2026 Tamil Nadu meeting elections, during which TVK gained 108 seats in its electoral debut, ending the decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK alliances.
