10 of its 36 ministers under watch of Central agencies, DMK sees a BJP strategy

Prominent among other DMK veterans facing Central agency scrutiny are Water and Irrigation Minister Duraimurugan, over an alleged sand-mining scam worth crores; Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy over alleged financial irregularities and wealth accumulation; Rural Development Minister I Periyasamy, and former excise minister K Senthil Balaji.

The recent spree of raids began with Balaji in June, over allegations of a job scam and money laundering. Chief Minister M K Stalin has retained him in the Cabinet, but Balaji remains incarcerated following the rejection of multiple bail pleas. The judicial proceedings have largely been unfavourable. Balaji’s brother Ashok is officially absconding, complicating Balaji’s legal situation.

In early October, S Jagathrakshakan, a DMK veteran and MP, faced Income Tax raids.

Sources said that the next targets could be minister K N Nehru, the veteran from Trichy; Food and Civil Supplies Minister R Sakkarapani; and Commercial Taxes and Registration Minister P Moorthy. All three are already under close watch over various corruption allegations.

Sources said the agencies could expand their probes to the DMK first family. Already the party is facing the heat as leaders like Balaji, Jagathrakshakan and Velu play crucial roles in managing the DMK’s resources. “The developments could pose a challenge to Stalin, especially with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections approaching,” a source said.

A senior DMK minister, speaking anonymously, say the see the raids as meant to thus hinder the party’s functioning, pointing to how key leaders, influential in multiple constituencies, are under the scanner. Balaji, for example, has huge say in Karur, Pollachi and Coimbatore, the minister said, adding that the raids had already showing an impact on the party’s internal structure and strategy. “The intention is to diminish the DMK’s influence, not necessarily seek a conviction,” he said.

The BJP’s strategy in Tamil Nadu has been twofold: apart from establishing a presence, it has realised that it also needs to curb the influence of the Dravidian parties with a stronghold in the state. Earlier, it had used the weakening of the AIADMK following J Jayalaithaa’s illness and subsequent demise to push the party into an alliance with it.

The top DMK leadership points out that some of the cases seeing sudden activity are decades old.

A senior DMK minister said there is some talk within the party that even CM Stalin might see a summons before the 2024 polls — mirroring Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s situation in Delhi — marring the DMK’s image ahead of the elections. A senior official involved in the probes admitted a push to expand the probe to other party leaders.

Senior DMK leader and spokesperson T K S Elangovan accused the Union government of trying to fabricate cases against Opposition leaders nationwide, even as NDA allies are spared. The recent raids, including those on Velu and Jagathrakshakan, have yielded no incriminating evidence, he said.

“Despite these challenges, we have confidence in the judiciary and believe these acts will only bolster the DMK’s resolve,” Elangovan added.