Rough Months Ahead For M K Stalin As One More DMK Heavyweight Falls

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is caught in an unrelenting storm of troubles, with no respite in sight, as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections loom large.

In yet another blow to the DMK government and Chief Minister M K Stalin, the Madras High Court yesterday (19 December) convicted Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy and his wife in a disproportionate assets case.

Ponmudy, a senior leader of the party, infamous in North India for his 'panipuri jibe' against Hindi speakers, and in news recently for the boycott of convocations in some state universities due to a clash with Governor R N Ravi over conferment of honorary doctorates, is facing a number of cases.

The news of Enforcement Directorate (ED) raiding properties connected to him in a case for laundering the proceeds of illegal excess mining of red sand had made headlines recently. The ED had later filed a chargesheet against his son, Gowtham Sigamani, who is the MP from Kallakurichi, and others.

Moreover, Justice N Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court recently took up suo moto revision of his acquittal by a lower court in another case.

In recent months, the DMK has found itself ensnared in a legal tempest of sorts.

Among the other ministers & leaders under the scanner of the central agencies are DMK heavyweights like Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan, who could be summoned by the ED in connection with the probe agency's ongoing investigation into illegal river sand mining, Minister for Public Works and Highways, EV Velu and DMK MP S Jagathrakshakan.

Premises connected to Velu and Jagathrakshakan were raided by the Income Tax department. The searches went on for many days.

The High Court has taken up suo moto revisions of the acquittals and discharge of ministers I Periyasamy, Thangam Thennarasu and K K S S R Ramachandran by lower courts in cases filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC).

The party's strongman in western-Tamil Nadu, Senthil Balaji, who was arrested in June this year, for his alleged role in the cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as Transport minister, continues to remain in jail. Balaji has been retained as a minister without portfolio.

These troubles couldn't have come at a tougher time for the DMK.

The party is under the national spotlight after Chief Minister M K Stalin's son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, made remarks calling for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma. The Chief Minister, known for his tirades against Hindi, had to sit down with a Hindi language daily for a detailed interview to bury the bad headlines that his son's remarks had led to.

The comments received widespread criticism and was seen as one of the reasons for the defeat of the I.N.D.I. Alliance in three northern states that went to polls last month — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

This is perhaps the first time that the party has faced such scrutiny in North India, which is crucial for the revival of its ally Congress and the success of the I.N.D.I Alliance in general.