Tamil Nadu is now having a fresh political clash as Finance Minister N Marie Wilson told Assembly in the state that he received a huge amount of bribe from the previous DMK government to get approval related to his educational institutions in Chennai.
On Monday, Wilson made his claim during the Assembly and would be willing to be the subject of an inquiry regarding the allegation, he said. “There are witnesses and here today I am that evidence,” he said in making the allegation.
The remarks immediately sparked a political debate with both the DMK and the BJP pushing the TVK-led government of the state to launch an inquiry and also to consider removing Wilson from the cabinet till the inquiry was completed.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister KG Arunraj has justified Wilson’s actions and called him a “whistleblower”. The DMK, however, had differing views and had lodged a grievance against the minister over the allegation, calling for action.
A minister admitting in Assembly that he was paid a bribe was serious, Mr. Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, DMK President told the media at the Assembly. He said that it was pertinent that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) probe Wilson given his own declaration.
The BJP also sought action with state president Nainar Nagenthran saying that both accepting and giving money meant as a bribe was an offence. He urged the government to probe and act against all responsible parties, while also accusing them of turning a blind eye to rights abuses and weakling of standing up to the country’s political apex.
The standoff has put pressure on the ruling administration to determine if Wilson has been proved right. A formal investigation, if it is able to be conducted, could result in a renewed investigation into the proper operation of the previous government and the process by which institutional approvals were supposedly acquired.