While the ADMK is still stumbling to fix the leadership crisis, intra-party tussle, and VK Sasikala's political intimidation, the party has been mounted with trouble from the DMK as the four-months-old Stalin administration has begun its drive of taking actions against the former ADMK Ministers under the grounds of corruption and irregularities. MK Stalin had handed over the list of the ADMK ministers, while he was the Opposition leader, to the Governor by accusing them of corruption and as he has come to power in the state, Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has expedited its operation against the former ADMK ministers.

Former ADMK Minister MR Vijayabaskar was the first to come under the DVAC's scanner. He had served as the Minister of Transport in the previous ADMK regime and his residences in Karur and Chennai were raided by the DVAC sleuths last month with the connection of amassing more wealth beyond his income. 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. 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 a shocking development, DVAC has alleged in the FIR that MR Vijayabaskar 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 authorities had said that the investigation is taking place and weeks after raiding Vijayabaskar's properties, the DVAC authorities had stormed into the properties of ADMK's bighead, former minister SP Velumani on Tuesday. 

They conducted searches at Velumani's residences and 60 other places in connection to corruption and irregularities of allotting government contracts while he was serving as the Minister of Municipal Administration in the previous ADMK regime. The authorities had raided the residences of some of the corporation officials and the properties that belong to the close associates of Velumani. The FIR has been filed against Velumani and as per the FIR, the Greater Chennai Corporation and the Coimbatore Corporation had allotted tenders worth Rs 811 crore to companies closely associated with Velumani, when he was the minister of the Municipal Administration, from 2014 to 2018.

The authorities had recovered a cash of Rs 13.08 lakh, land documents, financial transaction papers, documents of Rs 2 crore fixed deposit, documents concerning the corporations, and hard disks from Velumani's residence and on Thursday, they had also frozen Velumani's bank account and lockers. While being troubled by such back-to-back ordeals, a DMK Minister had fueled the trouble to the ADMK by claiming that former ADMK Minister Rajenthra Balaji is the next target of DMK and raids will be conducted against him soon.

According to our sources, Tamil Nadu Minister for Dairy Development and DMK leader Nassar has said that former ADMK Minister Rajenthra Balaji was the epicentre of the corruption in the ADMK rule and he will soon be brought under the scanner for investigation. Interestingly, Rajenthra Balaji is the predecessor of Nassar in his current post. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the ADMK leadership has formed a six-member legal committee to support the partymen in fighting the cases levied by the DMK. ADMK leaders Edappadi Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam had said that there was a rise in cases against the party functionaries every day with a motive of retaliating at the instigation of the ruling party.

Both the leaders have added that the committee will extend full legal support to the partymen when the political opponents file false cases. The leaders further appealed to the partymen to approach the committee and get it redressed. The ADMK leadership has asserted that the party would defend all those who work relentlessly for the party and people. It must be noted that earlier, it was speculated that Rajenthra Balaji would join the BJP as he made a sudden visit to the capital. However, Edappadi Palaniswami had put such speculations to rest by asserting that Rajenthra Balaji would be staying with the ADMK.