EPS Steps Up Attack On Stalin Govt After ED Allegations On Rs 1,020 Crore Contract Scam

Chennai: AIADMK General Secretary and Tamil Nadu’s Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Monday hit out at the MK Stalin government, alleging that the Tamil Nadu Government operates a ‘commission‑collection‑corruption regime running at full speed’.

EPS’ fresh salvo came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sent a detailed letter to the Tamil Nadu Director‑General of Police (DGP) and the state Chief Secretary (CS), claiming that contracts worth over Rs 1,020 crore in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department had been rigged. According to the investigating agency, contracts were manipulated under the watch of DMK Minister KN Nehru, and allegedly a commission between Rs 7.5% and 10% was extracted.

Hitting out at the Tamil Nadu government, Palaniswami accused the DMK of ‘shielding the minister instead of ordering a transparent investigation’.

EPS reminded the people of Tamil Nadu that the same department was previously flagged in an October ED notice alleging cash‑for‑jobs, a claim that Minister KN Nehru has denied. Talking to reporters, EPS asserted, “Instead of dismissing the accused minister and ordering a fair probe, the DMK government has been protecting the corrupt.”

EPS alleged that DMK Minister KN Nehru’s relatives ran a “well‑organised commission network” that extracted between 7.5 % and 10 % of each contract, with some officials reportedly taking as much as 20 %-25 % at various stages.

Further, he emphasised that the alleged bribes covered a wide range of projects, from community toilets and sanitation outsourcing to NABARD‑funded works and water‑lake schemes.

As reported earlier, the ED, in its letter to the Tamil Nadu DGP and Chief Secretary, has attached WhatsApp chats, photographs and calculation sheets to support its claim that the money was collected before tenders were officially opened .

AIADMK’s EPS claimed that the DMK has failed to act on an earlier Rs 888 crore cash for jobs scam in the same department and is instead protecting the minister allegedly involved. He suggested that recovering the alleged illicit funds could finance major projects such as the Madurai and Coimbatore metro rail lines, annual laptop schemes for students, a Rs 5,000 Pongal gift for every ration‑card holder and even a full year’s state budget without central assistance.

He also challenged Chief Minister MK  Stalin to order an impartial, fearless investigation, asking, “Will Stalin dare to order an honest probe? The people of Tamil Nadu are waiting for his answer.”

“Is this why people voted for the DMK? How many more days does MK Stalin believe he and his colleagues can get away with looting public money?” EPS asked.

He further stated, “Times have changed. People are watching. After the change of leadership in Tamil Nadu, every single corruption mastermind in the DMK, no matter how powerful, will face punishment under the law.”

Meanwhile, Minister KN Nehru has denied the accusations, describing the ED’s notice as baseless and saying he would handle the matter personally. The DMK has dismissed the opposition’s criticism as politically motivated, maintaining that the state administration is committed to transparency.

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