Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam on Sunday refuted DMK president M. Karunanidhi's claim that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was improperly holding the portfolio of vigilance even while facing a case filed by the Vigilance Directorate charging her with amassing wealth disproportionate to her income
“It is untrue. The Chief Minister is not holding the vigilance portfolio. The subject was allotted to the Law Minister on May 16 itself when the AIADMK government assumed office,” Mr. Panneerselvam said in a statement here. He said that even during the previous AIADMK regime the vigilance portfolio was not under Ms. Jayalalithaa. “I was holding the portfolio then,” Mr. Panneerselvam said and accused Mr. Karunanidhi of issuing statements without going through the allotment of portfolios among ministers in Tamil Nadu.
Regarding Mr. Karunanidhi's argument that Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy recently gave up the vigilance portfolio in the wake of allegations against him in the palmolein import case, Mr. Panneerselvam said it was a clear case of “the devil quoting the scripture”.
He alleged that Mr. Karunanidhi had withdrawn many cases against him and did not go for an appeal in connection with the murder of former minister Tha. Kiruttinan, in which his son and Union Minister M.K. Alagiri was an accused. Mr. Alagiri was acquitted in the case.
The Finance Minister said Ms. Jayalalithaa did not adopt the methods of Mr. Karunanidhi and did not withdraw the cases against her. “She faced the cases in court and has been acquitted in 13 cases. There is no need for Mr. Karunanidhi to teach her lessons in politics,” Mr. Panneerselvam said.
