In shocking revelations, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) of Tamil Nadu has revealed that former Tamil Nadu Minister and ADMK leader MR Vijayabaskar has bought properties worth Rs 8 crore during serving as the minister. MR Vijayabaskar had served as the Tamil Nadu Minister of Transport during the previous Edappadi Palaniswami regime and he has been serving as the party's secretary in Karur. 

The DVAC authorities had on Thursday stormed into the properties belong to MR Vijayabaskar and conducted raids in allegations of corruption and that he had amassed more wealth beyond his income. The searches had begun at around 7 am on Thursday and Vijayabaskar's residence in Chennai has also come under the scanner. The authorities had conducted the searches in over 20 places including the properties belong to the former minister in Chennai and in his home district of Karur. 

The raid on the ADMK leader was the first since DMK's MK Stalin came to power in Tamil Nadu and it has lasted for around ten hours. While Vijayabaskar's counsel has claimed that the former minister has kept everything clean and nothing to worry about. However, after completing the raid, the DVAC has issued an official statement in which it has said that the authorities had seized lakhs of money and several documents pertaining to the allegations that the former minister had piled up more wealth than his income. 

The anti-corruption watchdog has said that DVAC's Karur unit has registered a disproportionate assets case against MR Vijayabaskar, his wife Vijayalakshmi, and his brother R Sekar. In its official statement on Thursday, DVAC has said, "A case was filed against former Tamil Nadu Transport Minister MR Vijayabaskar for amassing more wealth during his ministerial tenure in his name, and in the names of his wife Vijayalakshmi, his brother Sekhar, and in the names of the companies in which he was a shareholder. A case was filed on 21.07.2021 in the anti-corruption department in Karur under sections 13(2) r/w 13(1)(b) of the PC (Amendment) Act 2018 and 12 r/w 13(2) r/w 13(1)(b) of the PC (Amendment) Act 2018 and it has been under investigations." 

"In connection to the case, the officials of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption had conducted searches on 22.07.2021 at 26 places including the properties of MR Vijayabaskar and his relatives, the companies where he was a shareholder, and the places where people suspected to be close to Vijayabaskar were living. In this search, Rs 25,56,000 cash, and the documents related to his assets, investments in the insurance companies, the transactions with the companies were seized. The investigation has been taking place", DVAC added in its statement.

Following the raid, the DVAC has intensified the scanner against MR Vijayabaskar and it has blocked his bank accounts as part of the investigations. In a shocking development, DVAC has alleged in the FIR that the former minister has bought eight properties worth nearly Rs 8 crore in Karur in the name of two partnership firms - Rainbow Dryers and Rainbow Blue Metals during 2016-2021 when he was serving as the Tamil Nadu Minister. 

The DVAC has said that Vijayabaskar and Vijayalakshmi are partners in these companies and the properties that were bought under the names of these two companies warrant a suspicion that these properties were acquired by the former minister. Vijayabaskar's brother Sekar had represented the partnership firms and helped the former minister in amassing wealth during his term as the minister. The anti-corruption body has further said that the former minister and his wife were in possession of assets and properties worth Rs 2.68 crore over the check period, which was identified to be disproportionate to their income sources. 

However, on the other hand, Vijayabaskar has denied the reports that his bank accounts were seized. The ADMK party had come in support of Vijayabaskar and the party's leadership had strongly condemned the raids and slammed the DMK government for its retaliatory actions against the opposition parties instead of concentrating on the people-welfare schemes. The ADMK leaders had said, "We strongly condemn the DMK government for intimidating former minister MR Vijayabaskar under the name of conducting searches." By asserting that the ADMK will stand with and support MR Vijayabaskar, Palaniswami and Panneerselvam have said they will counter MK Stalin government's anarchy and violations legally and politically with the support of party cadres.