Chennai Police have claimed that a plan involving a ₹180 crore “deal” was discussed to lure away TVK MLAs and destabilise the Vijay-led government. The details emerged during an ongoing investigation, police said.
The case was registered by Triplicane Police after a complaint from TVK’s Uthangarai MLA Ilaiyaraja. Following the complaint, police arrested eight people, including Tirunavukkarasu (45) of Arumbakkam, who runs a survey firm, along with Naresh (45) from Tiruchy and Thyagarajan (40) from Medavakkam.
During follow-up questioning, police said they learnt that DMK’s Coimbatore South MLA and former minister Senthil Balaji, and his brother Ashok Kumar, were allegedly behind the effort. Investigators also referred to two Karur-based men, Karthik (43) and Ramesh (45), described as close associates, who allegedly facilitated meetings.
Police said a meeting was held at a star hotel in Guindy, Chennai, where the alleged plan to draw at least 10 TVK MLAs towards the DMK side was discussed. The objective, police claimed, was to reduce TVK’s strength and secure votes against the Speaker during a proposed no-confidence move.
As part of the alleged approach, Ilaiyaraja was reportedly contacted through Tirunavukkarasu and offered ₹35 crore in a single instalment to switch sides and vote as instructed. Police said he refused, after which he was allegedly warned not to disclose the approach.
