Chennai: Former chief minister and DMK president M K Stalin on Saturday condemned the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) searches at the properties of DMK principal secretary K N Nehru, calling them politically motivated. DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi also accused the TVK govt of indulging in political vendetta.In a post on X, Stalin alleged that the searches were intended to divert attention from the alleged horse-trading of MLAs and the DVAC’s failure to register a case in connection with it. “As usual, the ruling party is resorting to tactics aimed at diverting public attention,” he said, asserting that neither the DMK nor Nehru would be intimidated and that they would fight the cases legally.The DMK chief questioned the timing of the searches, noting that they were conducted while the Assembly session was under way and related matters were pending before the high court. He alleged that people in Tamil Nadu were aware of the TVK’s involvement in horse-trading, claiming that the ruling party had coaxed MLAs from other parties to resign and join the TVK at the Secretariat. He criticised the DVAC for failing to register a case over the allegations and described the sequence of events as “dark side in the history of democracy”.Meanwhile, Kanimozhi termed the searches at Nehru’s residences and properties, as well as those of his close relatives, “the height of vindictiveness”. She said the DMK would not succumb to threats or trials. “The DMK will never be intimidated by the actions of the anti-democratic govt, which is misusing its power to strangle the Opposition,” she said in a post on X. The DMK leader further alleged that the TVK govt was unable to politically confront the DMK in the Assembly and had resorted to continuous slander and diversionary tactics.
