Responding to allegations of using huge sums of money to induce defections, Sengottaiyan termed the claims as ‘baseless’ and said the government is stable, transparent and enjoys overwhelming public support.
“There is absolutely no truth in these allegations. We have formed a strong and stable government, and our coalition partners are extending their full support. There is no need for horse-trading,” he told reporters in Erode.
The minister’s comments come a day after the DMK accused the TVK government of acting out of political vendetta, using police to put pressure on opposition leaders and trying to break up MLAs.
Sengottaiyan stressed the strength of the ruling alliance and said that the alliance continues to get the support of Congress, VCK and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Responding to the opposition’s criticism, he alleged that it was the DMK that initiated and encouraged political defection in Tamil Nadu. He claimed that during previous DMK governments, MLAs (including former AIADMK leader Anita R. Radhakrishnan) were persuaded to switch sides.
He said, “Those who once ran a minority government with only 96 MLAs may have needed horse-trading. Our government was formed on the basis of the people’s mandate, not us.”
Commenting on the controversy surrounding Governor RN Ravi’s recent review meeting (which the opposition said was a violation of constitutional rights), Sengottaiyan declined to elaborate. He said that the state law minister has already presented the government’s stand on this issue.
The minister also tried to clarify his recent comments related to the Karur stampede controversy, which were criticized by the opposition for saying things like ‘settling the accounts’. He said that the statement was misinterpreted, its purpose was only to assure the affected families that the government would provide them justice and full legal protection.
This dispute has reached the Supreme Court. The DMK has asked the court to restrain Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and other TVK leaders from making statements which the party has termed as ‘false and inflammatory’ regarding the Karur stampede (in which 41 people died).
Earlier in the day, Sengottaiyan inaugurated a new ration shop at Karattadipalayam in Erode district. It was built at a cost of Rs 16 lakh from the MLA Constituency Development Fund. It is expected that this facility will benefit 710 ration card holders of the area.
Praising the working style of Chief Minister Vijay, the Minister said that the new administration is setting new standards of functioning by taking fast decisions, daily review in the secretariat and interacting directly with the public to ensure that the welfare schemes reach every section of the society.
First batch of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra 2026 leaves, best wishes from Dhami!
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