Two DMK MLAs have accused CM C. Joseph Vijay, Aadhav Arjuna and MDMK leaders of allegedly trying to lure them into the TVK and sought a DVAC probe
Two DMK MLAs have accused Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna and MDMK leaders, Vaiko and son Durai Vaiko, of trying to lure them into their fold through alleged ‘horse trading’ and demanded the registration of a case against them under the relevant provisions of the law and initiate an investigation into the charges.
In a complaint to the director of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), the MLAs, T M Rajendran, representing Kadayanallur constituency and R Senthil Selvan from Sirkazhi, said they were asked to resign their MLA posts and support the TVK at a time when the ruling party had just scraped through in the confidence vote.
Both MLAs, who were members of the MDMK earlier, had switched over to the DMK ahead of the elections and filed their nominations as representatives of the DMK. After the elections, on June 17, Vaiko had invited them to his house and requested them to defect from the DMK, resign their MLA posts and support the TVK.
It was on the same day, ahead of the meeting with them, Vaiko had called on Vijay at the Secretariat and had reportedly spoken about luring them to the TVK, he said, adding that Vaiko had told them that Aadhav Arjuna had met him the previous day and conveyed the message of Vijay to him.
Vijay had reportedly assured to see to it that the two MLAs contested from the same constituencies and also won the seats. The Chief Minister had also assured to bear the election expenses, Vaiko told them, the MLAs claimed. However, they did not want to defect from the DMK, they said.
The complaint said that Vijay, Arjuna, Vaiko and Durai Vaiko made an attempt to lure them into the TVK because the party felt that it had only a wafer thin majority in the Assembly. They also claimed that Vaiko had met Vijay twice between June 17 and 21 and invited them to attend the MDMK’s high-level committee meeting on June 26, the day ahead of that party’s annual general body meeting.
Since they were associated with the MDMK for several decades, they met Vaiko, out of respect, at about 7 am on June 26 when it was hinted one of them could even land a ministerial berth if they contested the by-election as TVK candidates. When the two DMK MLAs conveyed their intention to not leave the DMK, Vaiko asked them if they wanted to continue as slaves.
When they continued to dig in their heels, Vaiko invited them to the AGM of his party the next day though they had left that party and were members of the DMK. At the AGM Vaiko had said that Vijay had asked him to lure the two MLAs to his party and the video recording of the speech was in the public domain, they said.
