Panneerselvam condemns FIR against former Minister R. Vaithilingam

The former CM claimed the case was registered due to “political vengeance”.

Former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, on Sunday (September 22, 2024) criticised the DMK government over the registering of a First Information Report (FIR) by the DVAC against legislator and former Minister R. Vaithilingam.

He claimed the case was registered due to “political vengeance”. Contending that the case was registered over “apprehensions if the AIADMK would consolidate itself,” Mr. Panneerselvam said the case would be faced legally.

In a statement, Mr. Panneerselvam, who heads a splinter AIADMK group, referred to statements reportedly made by AIADMK leader S.P. Velumani and later by Mr. Vaithilingam over the possible merging of his outfit with the AIADMK. While a case was registered against Mr. Velumani a few days after his statement, another was registered later against Mr. Vaithilingam.

The case against Mr. Vaithilingam was an attempt to cover up the alleged “dissatisfaction” of the people against the DMK government, Mr. Panneerselvam charged. “This is political vendetta. This is the pinnacle of the DMK government’s political vengeance. I strongly condemn this,” he said.

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) registered a case against Mr. Vaithilingam and his elder son V. Prabhu for alleged corruption. According to the FIR, a private company allegedly paid a sum of ₹27.90 crore to the then Minister for getting approval of the planning permission for construction of buildings spread over 57.47 acres on the GST Road in Perungalathur near Chennai.

Published - September 22, 2024 01:18 pm IST