Apparent Links Between Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister and Company Under Investigation for Corruption

What’s making AIADMK nervous: Links between raided SPK group and TN CM’s family

Raids at the SPK Group has yielded Rs 163 crore in cash and gold bullion of over 100 kg parked in cars across the state.

Dhanya Rajendran, Manasa Rao

The raids on SPK Group, a road contractor in Tamil Nadu, have come as a shock to the ruling AIADMK. 

The Income Tax department says that they have recovered Rs 163 crore (about $24 million in USD) of unaccounted cash and over 100 kg of gold bullion on the first day of raids.

What has made the AIADMK and in particular, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, nervous about the raids are the alleged links between SPK Group promoter Nagarajan Seyyadurai and his family.

Seyyadurai’s SPK Group has won over many highway contracts in the last few years, and in March 2018, he incorporated a new company called the SPKAndCo Expressway Private Limited. His partner in this venture is none other than businessman Subramaniam Palanisamy, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s son’s father in law.

Seyyadurai and Subramaniam Palanisamy have other business connections too. Both are directors in the Sri Balaji Tollways Madurai Private Limited. The company was incorporated in 2016 with Subramaniam Palanisamy as its director. In September 2017, Seyyadurai joined this company as a director.

The TN government’s Rs 200 crore contract for the four laning of the Madurai Ring Road, was awarded to Sri Balaji Toll Ways Private Limited in 2017. This is the same company that initially had J Sekar Reddy as one of its directors, but he resigned sometime in the recent past.

In a complaint lodged with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption in June 2018, the DMK had alleged that many highway contracts were being given to the Chief Minister’s family and benamis. Incidentally, the Chief Minister holds the Highways and Minor Ports portfolio.

“P.Subramaniam, (in-law of Edappadi Palanisamy), P.Nagarajan (benami of Palanisamy) and J.Sekar @ Sekar Reddy are the Directors of this firm. Subsequently after this tender was awarded, through G.O. Ms No. 82, Highways and Minor Ports (HS.1) Department, dated 16.05.2018, an additional 18.57 crores was sanctioned for this project,” the DMK’s complaint reads.

The DMK had also alleged that the six laning of the Vandalur-Walajabad road, assisted by the World Bank, was awarded to SPKAndCo Expressway owned by Nagarajan and Subramaniam Palanisamy.

A government order mentioning this contract could not be found on any TN government websites. But if the DMK’s allegation is true, the question of how a four-month-old company was given a government contract persists.

A source in the AIADMK told TNM that the OPS and EPS factions were nervous about what plans the BJP (BJP is the ruling political party in India) had for their future. “The moment Amit Shah said that TN government was the most corrupt, some sort of action against the Chief Minister was expected. With these raids, his family’s links will come under the radar. What we hear is that the BJP is unhappy with both leaders,” the AIADMK leader told TNM.

470 People ‘Die of Grief’ in Wake of Indian Politician’s Death – Party Claims

In the "Whaaaat?" category...

People pay homage to the body of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaraman, who died on Monday, in Chennai, India, December 6, 2016. © Adnan Abidi / Reuters

Nearly 500 people have died because they were “unable to bear the death” of one of India’s most powerful politicians, Jayalalithaa, her party said. However many people are questioning the claim

Thousands mourn death of leader from

India's 3rd-largest party

Jayalalithaa Jayaram, commonly referred to as Jayalalithaa or Amma (mother), passed away at the age of 68 on December 5 after more than two months in hospital. She served five terms as the Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu between 1991 and 2016.

A former actress who starred in around 140 films, Jayalalithaa was a Tamil cultural icon whose life was more unbelievable than even the most dramatic screenplay.

She was brought into politics by former Tamil movie star and state chief minister, MG Ramachandran.

In 2000 she was convicted of embezzlement and monetary fraud and had to spent time in jail. She was elected the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for the third time in the 2011.

On Sunday, AIADMK said that 470 people died due to the shock and grief of her passing.

"[In] total 470 people died, unable to bear the death of Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, Rs 3 lakh ($4445.44) aid will be given to each family,” the party tweeted.

3 lakh is a lot of money in India. I think I might have lost a family member or two also.

The tweet garnered a huge number of sarcastic responses as numerous people took to social media to express skepticism about the number of people supposedly dying because of overwhelming grief.

"People don't die of shock over their own mother's death but here we are told 280 died of shock over Jayalalithaa's demise. Too much to believe," Anshul Saxena said.

Especially when she's been dying for two months. Seriously!

Many more questioned where the money would be coming from to pay the families and labeled the idea a scam.

The party previously said it would be pay the medical expenses of a man who attempted to kill himself when news of her illness was released. The bill is reportedly Rs 50,000 ($741). They also said they would be paying a similar amount to a man who chopped his finger off when she died.

Strangely that wasn’t the first time someone chopped off a finger for Jayalalithaa. In 2003 a man made one of his an offering at a Hindu temple so that she would live a long life.

How did that work out?

Not sure how to critique this, but it's certainly apparent that Muslims are not the only people prone to hysteria. But I suspect, as many Tweeters do, that this is one big scam. Poverty causes people to do some pretty desperate things; pretending you're dead for a big check is not so far fetched.

Instead of honouring her, they make a mockery of her.