(Image source from: Midday.com)

DMK Working Prez MK Stalin Demands CBI Probe In Transfer Of RK Nagar Vote Scam:- A CBI probe has been demanded by DMK working president M.K. Stalin and PMK youth wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday into the allegations of transfer  of Rs 89 crore to voters by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and his ministers during the R.K. Nagar bypoll.

Citing the affidavit of Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajesh Lakhoni in the Madras high court that the city police commissioner holds the responsibility to probe into the complaints of money distribution to voters. The DMK leader raised doubts if the CEO abdicating his responsibility.

Stalin further said that under the direct control of the Chief Minister, the city police commissioner comes and the police could not be expected to file cases on Palaniswami and his ministers. So, to pave way for an independent enquiry into the charges,  Palaniswami must resign from his post. Stalin said it would cause a blemish to fair and free polls and endanger Parliament democracy, if the Election Commission is complacent.

He recalled that during the raids at the health minister C. Vijayabaskar’s house, documents containing the amount of money distributed to R.K. Nagar voters were unearthed by the Income Tax department. To prevent the DMK from winning the elections, the Election Commission of India cancelled the bypoll based on the list. The C is maintaining that the situation in the constituency is not conducive for conducting elections, he added.

Stalin said the Election Commission was sent a 34-page report by the IT department. He recalled that the CEO was directed by the Election Commissioner to file cases on the ministers whose names were mentioned in the list for taking responsibility for distributing the money.

Stalin pointed out that there were documentary evidence to suggest that Palaniswami monitored the distribution of 13.27 crores to 33,193 voters. This was the first time a Chief Minister was charged with distributing money to voters, but no case had been filed against him till now.

The Election Commission’s stand on the charges were described as ‘anti-democratic’ by Anbumani and said that since no action had been taken against the ministers who were charged with money distribution, the commission should have recommended a CBI probe. The progress in the money distribution case was neither submitted to the court by the police department nor the Election Commission. Anbumani said an enquiry by the state police would amount to burying the case and EC’s assertion that it was monitoring the case was a farce.

SUPRAJA