BJP Claims a Few DMK Leaders Owned Assets Worth over Rs 1.34 Lakh Crores, DMK Rubbishes
NEW DELHI, Apr 14: In retaliation for the ruling DMK’s demand for producing the receipt of the expensive and controversial Dassault watch he is sporting, the Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Friday released what he called “DMK Files” with a long list of assets worth over Rs 1.34 lakh crores which he claimed were owned by the key DMK leaders.
Among the leaders he named to be owning the assets included 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.
The DMK immediately responded calling the whole exercise “a joke.” Rubbishing Annamalai’s allegations, DMK MP RS Bharathi said, “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.
Specifically targeting Chief Minister MK Stalin, Annamalai alleged he was paid a bribe of Rs 200 Crores for favouring a particular 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. Annamalai said he would take questions only after a week, so “journalists could verify.”
On funding his expensive and controversial Dassault watch, 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 Annamalai to release details of assets owned by DMK leaders.
On how the former IPS officer manages his expenses, 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”.
On the valuation Annamalai has computed, Bharathi said, “LIC building was built for ₹ 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 ₹ 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 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,” Bharathi said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
