Opposition leader and DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Tuesday demanded the cancellation of all Highways Department project tenders awarded by the Tamil Nadu government to the SPK group of companies, which is under the adverse scanner of the Income Tax Department.
In a statement, Mr. Stalin reiterated his demand for the resignation of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami alleging that the father-in-law of the latter’s son was linked to the firm from which the Income Tax Department has unearthed over ₹163 crore unaccounted cash and over 100 kg gold bars.
However, Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar once again insisted that there was no wrong doing in the award of tenders as the firm has been awarded government tenders even during the erstwhile DMK regime.
Mr. Stalin alleged that the AIADMK government was a running a “Tender Governance” and the I-T Department searches on the SPK Group has showcased the level of corruption in awarding contracts.
“The raids have also shown how the Chief Minister’s ‘benami’ is a contractor and how his son’s in-laws have joined hands to run a regime of corruption in the State,” the DMK leader added.
The DMK leader said these searches were a black mark on the State’s governance, given that a Chief Minister himself had taken tenders through his relatives, that too in a department functioning under him.
“The Chief Minister should immediately resign, and pave the way for an independent investigation into the issue. Tenders given to Nagarajan Seyyadurai and the Chief Minister’s son’s in-laws should also be immediately cancelled and these should be re-tendered, and the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption should launch a probe into the commission that changed hands for the award of these tenders,” Mr. Stalin demanded.
‘Probe Edappadi’
PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss said that the Income Tax searches against the SPK Group, which has bagged several highway contracts, was shocking. He also urged the Centre to direct the CBI and the I-T department to look into the links between the SPK Group and Mr. Palaniswami, the contracts that were awarded and where the money had been invested.
