Tamil Nadu Minister for Energy Resources and Law CTR Nirmal Kumar
| Photo Credit:
Johan Sathyadas J
Minister for Energy Resources and Law R. Nirmalkumar on Wednesday accused DMK president and former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin of entrusting Coimbatore South MLA and former Minister V. Senthilbalaji with the task of “luring” TVK MLAs by offering them up to ₹50 crore with the intention of toppling the government.Speaking to the media at the Secretariat, Nirmalkumar claimed that several TVK MLAs were approached by alleged associates of Senthilbalaji and his brother V Ashok Kumar. Offering the TVK MLAs up to ₹50 crore, they told them that the DMK was planning to move a no-confidence motion against the Speaker in the next Assembly session and asked them to vote in support of the motion, he alleged.He said one of the TVK MLAs who received such an offer lodged a complaint, based on which three persons were arrested. “That is why Stalin keeps saying that the government will not last long, and that elections will be held soon. The people of Tamil Nadu should closely watch what they are doing. After looting thousands of crores [of rupees] in the past five years, they are unable to remain idle, and are trying to purchase MLAs,” Nirmalkumar said.“Is Stalin not ashamed of trying to buy MLAs? The people have already rejected him. Even his alliance partners have left after seeing the kind of politics the DMK indulges in, such as the attempt to make Edappadi K. Palaniswami the Chief Minister,” he said.According to him, the TVK MLAs did not spend ₹500 crore or ₹1,000 crore “like the DMK MLAs”, and became legislators by spending only ₹3 lakh or ₹4 lakh. “We will contest the next election in the same manner. The people voted for us because they had complete faith in us. Unlike you [the DMK], we did not distribute ₹2,000 per vote, or spend ₹70 crore in each constituency,” he said.He claimed that those who saw no political future in the DMK and the AIADMK were leaving those parties.Replying to a question on the pendency of corruption cases against former AIADMK Ministers C. Vijayabaskar and M.R. Vijayabhaskar, who are set to join the TVK, Nirmalkumar said the law will take its course.Published on July 1, 2026
