Chennai, March 9 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has levelled serious allegations against the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), claiming that the party has resorted to large-scale financial inducements to secure electoral alliances and influence voters, ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

BJP spokesperson A.N.S. Prasad on Monday said the party would submit formal complaints to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), seeking immediate investigations into the alleged transactions.

Addressing the media, Prasad alleged that the DMK leadership was spending massive sums to consolidate its electoral alliances, in its bid to strengthen its prospects in the forthcoming polls.

He claimed that significant financial inducements were being offered to several alliance partners during negotiations. He claimed that the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) leadership was allegedly paid ₹150 crore as part of alliance discussions, while ₹300 crore was purportedly given to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and ₹50 crore to Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai.

Prasad said these claims warranted immediate scrutiny by investigative agencies. The BJP leader also urged the ED to examine the alleged role of senior DMK leaders in facilitating the transactions. He specifically referred to ministers K.N. Nehru and A.V. Velu, alleging that they played a role in coordinating payments during alliance negotiations.

He demanded that authorities examine whether the transactions violated provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Representation of the People Act.

Prasad further raised questions regarding the alleged involvement of Priyank Kharge, Karnataka minister and son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, claiming that he had made repeated visits to Tamil Nadu during the alliance talks.

He demanded that the investigators examine the nature of his meetings with DMK leaders and determine whether they were connected to electoral funding arrangements.

He further alleged that essential household items such as groceries, sarees, dhotis and pressure cookers were being distributed to voters in various constituencies. He also claimed that community leaders and local influencers were being targeted with cash incentives ranging from ₹25,000 to ₹1 lakh.

The BJP spokesperson further alleged that nearly ₹2,000 crore in cash had been stockpiled across the state for distribution to voters during the election period.

Prasad urged the Election Commission to deploy special monitoring teams and flying squads across all districts to prevent the misuse of money power during the elections.

–IANS

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