Opposition stages walkout over gutka scam in Tamil Nadu
Speaker P Dhanapal disallowed a discussion on issue when opposition leader M K Stalin started reading out his statement on an income tax (I-T) department letter asking the government to take action against Vijayabaskar and police officers for their involvement in corruption.
MK Stalin demanded Vjayabaskar’s removal from the cabinet and action against police officials. (File photo)
Tamil Nadu’s opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) lawmakers staged a walkout from the state assembly on Wednesday after they were refused permission to raise alleged gutka bribery scam involving Health Minister C Vijayabaskar.
Speaker P Dhanapal disallowed a discussion on issue when opposition leader M K Stalin started reading out his statement on an income tax (I-T) department letter asking the government to take action against Vijayabaskar and police officers for their involvement in corruption. He sought proof for the allegations. “We need to verify the authenticity of such allegations. If the proof is genuine, I will allow (the discussion),” he said. The lawmakers staged the walkout after Dhanapal warned he will be forced to evict them when they showed newspaper clippings on the scam.
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“No action was taken by the chief secretary. A diary seized from a gutka dealer, Madhav Rao, shows that money was paid to health minister Vijayabaskar and police officials. But no action was taken against them,” Stalin said. He demanded Vjayabaskar’s removal from the cabinet and action against police officials.
Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.
Expertise
Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.
Key Coverage Areas:
State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.
Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties.
Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.
Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail.
His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More
