CHENNAI: DMK and AIADMK on Friday stepped up their attack on the TVK govt in Tamil Nadu over the alleged Palani mutt land scam. DMK legal wing joint secretary I Paranthamen accused chief minister C Joseph Vijay’s govt of shielding those involved. He alleged that the episode was part of “a larger conspiracy” and suspected involvement of power centres in the ruling party, while AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP I S Inbadurai condemned the police action against those who flagged the alleged land scam.Speaking to reporters at the DMK headquarters, Paranthamen said contradictory statements by registration minister D Logesh Tamilselvan, Hindu religious and charitable endowments (HR&CE) minister S Ramesh and the public prosecutor had raised serious questions over the govt’s handling of the case.He said the HR&CE minister had claimed that the registration had been carried out “out of ignorance”, while the registration minister maintained that the registration had been done in compliance with a court order. However, the public prosecutor told the court that reports and documents from the HR&CE department were suppressed and that the registration had been carried out under pressure.“Who pressured the officials to register the land?” Paranthamen asked, alleging the involvement of influential persons in the ruling party.He questioned why the identities of the accused had not been disclosed and why no arrests had been made thus far. He accused the HR & CE minister of attempting to defend those involved, saying it raised doubts over whether the govt was trying to shield them.Referring to the registration process, Paranthamen said the Palani sub-registrar had refused to register the parcel of land and went on leave on June 3. Instead of deputing an official from a nearby office, authorities brought in a sub-registrar from Kodaikanal, nearly 60 km away. “Why was an officer from so far away deputed when officials were available nearby? It clearly suggests that he was handpicked for the job,” he alleged.Paranthamen said DMK would closely monitor the investigation and approach the court if it was not satisfied with the probe. He criticised chief minister C Joseph Vijay for maintaining silence over the issue. He took exception to electricity minister C T R Nirmalkumar’s remarks against former minister P Moorthy. “Nirmalkumar should learn to speak in a dignified manner,” he said.AIADMK Rajya Sabha member and legal wing functionary I S Inbadurai questioned the govt’s response to the controversy. Referring to the police case registered against an AIADMK functionary over a social media post, he asked why the ruling party was “rattled” by criticism. “They are free to file a defamation case, but they should stop misusing police to intimidate those raising legitimate questions,” he said.
