CM Vijay's government in danger? What we know about the TVK-DMK 'horse-trading' row

ALlegations of "horse-trading" feature sparked a political force in Tamil Nadu, with the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by Chief authorities minister Vijay, accusing the oppositeness DMK of attempting to poach its MLAs and destabilise the government. The DMK has rejected the charges and responded with counter-allegations.The controversy erupted after a TVK MLA alleged he was offered ₹35 crore to vote in a particular manner in the Assembly. The case has since led to the arrest of three people, even as both parties continue to trade charges over attempts to destabilise the government.What triggered the row?The controversy began after TVK MLA N Elaiyaraja filed a complaint on June 29, alleging that a man identified as Thirunavukkarasu contacted him claiming to represent Indian Political Democratic Strategies (IPDS) and said he was reaching out on behalf of members of a major political party.According to the complaint, Elaiyaraja was allegedly asked to vote in a particular manner during a proposed resolution against the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and was offered up to ₹35 crore as an inducement.The MLA also alleged that he was threatened after refusing the offer and warned against revealing the conversation.Three arrested in the caseBased on the complaint, police registered a case at Chennai's D1 Triplicane Police Station and arrested Thirunavukkarasu, along with Naresh from Tiruchirappalli and Thiyagarajan from Chennai.According to the police, the investigation revealed that Naresh had met V Ashok Kumar, brother of former DMK minister and Coimbatore South MLA V Senthil Balaji, in Chennai. Police said further inquiry suggested that Thirunavukkarasu allegedly acted on instructions linked to Senthil Balaji and Ashok Kumar.Also Read: ₹35 crore cash for vote arrest">TVK, DMK accuse each other of horse trading after ₹35 crore cash for vote arrest‘Stalin trying to topple govt’Following the arrests, Tamil Nadu minister P Nirmal Kumar alleged that the DMK had been trying to poach TVK MLAs for the past 40 days.Calling it an attempt to destabilise the government, Kumar alleged that DMK president MK Stalin was trying to "topple the government" after failing to accept the people's verdict in the Assembly elections.DMK rejects allegationsThe DMK has dismissed the allegations, calling them baseless.Party spokesperson TKS Elangovan questioned why the DMK would attempt to buy a single TVK MLA, arguing that such a move would not help the party form a government."There is some game behind this action. DMK has never been involved in purchasing MLAs from TVK. Somebody is telling a lie," he said.The party also countered by alleging that TVK itself had attempted to lure MLAs. DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi urged Governor R N Ravi to order a probe into allegations that two MDMK MLAs had been approached, and demanded that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption register an FIR.TVK denied the allegation, accusing the DMK of attempting to divert attention from the case involving Elaiyaraja's complaint.Ex-AIADMK leaders set to join TVKAmid the political slugfest, the ruling TVK is also set to receive a boost, with former AIADMK ministers C Vijayabaskar, M R Vijayabaskar and M S M Anandan announcing that they will join Vijay's party.The leaders said their decision followed consultations with supporters and reflected their confidence in Vijay's leadership. Anandan also dismissed allegations of "horse-trading", saying they were joining the party voluntarily.On the other hand, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M) has urged the Tamil Nadu government to conduct a thorough investigation into allegations of attempts to lure MLAs with money and ensure strict legal action against those involved.Alliance meetingIn another political development, TVK held the first coordination meeting of its alliance with Congress, VCK, IUML and MDMK.Congress leader Manickam Tagore said the partners discussed forming a coordination committee, preparing a common minimum programme and giving the alliance a formal name.Congress MP Praveen Chakravarty said the meeting focused on strengthening the coalition supporting the Tamil Nadu government and was unrelated to the INDIA bloc.(With inputs from agencies)