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STATES: TAMIL NADU
Mayor Culpa
DMK
heir apparent M.K. Stalin and his properties in Chennai become the target
of the AIADMK's pre-election salvos
By
Arun Ram
Built on over 4,800 sq ft, the house has Dutch-style
architecture with teak doors and Venetian windows. There is a fountain
in the front and a courtyard in the centre. Persian carpets and artefacts
from the US and Japan adorn the rooms.
If the house described
had belonged to just another well-heeled Chennai businessman it would
probably have made it to the pages of a design magazine. But as the architectural
splendour belongs to Chennai Mayor M.K. Stalin, it has been splashed across
the pages of the popular press. The upshot: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's
son has some elaborate explaining to do.
Confidence is the opium of AIADMK General Secretary
J. Jayalalitha. Stuck in a maze of corruption cases ever since the DMK
came to power in 1996, Jayalalitha has realised that political tit-for-tat
can come in real handy. As filing cases against Karunanidhi is "not
really workable now", as an AIADMK leader puts it, Amma has found
a natural and easier target-his son. She got a shot in the arm when S.P.
Shenbagamurthy, a self-proclaimed social worker from Sivakasi, filed a
complaint against Stalin on February 8. The complainant sought a Directorate
of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) probe into the assets of Stalin,
who has allegedly amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources
of income.
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While Stalin's ploy is to
rush through cases before the polls, Jayalalitha has asked her lawyers
to dig up more dirt.
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HOUSE OF TROUBLES: Jayalalitha (top left); Stalin
(top right) and the mayoral residence
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The argument, as Shenbagamurthy's counsel T.K.
Sampath points out, is simple: "Stalin has built a house at Velachery
on the city outskirts at a cost of Rs 3 crore. Stalin was not employed
before he became an MLA and mayor in 1996. His total salary is just Rs
10,000. How then could he possess such wealth?" Chennai's principal
sessions court has ordered an investigation by the DVAC into Stalin's
assets.
The political games in the legal tussle are
inescapable. The Jayalalitha-owned Jaya TV dedicated a large chunk of
channel time for the Shenbagamurthy case. Namadu MGR, the AIADMK mouthpiece,
had a field day, publishing a two-page story with photographs of virtually
every room in Stalin's house.
Despite the headline-grabbing troubles, Stalin
stole a point, making an impromptu appearance at the court on February
14 even as it was considering the complaint. He filed an affidavit stating
that as the first citizen of Chennai, he should be "the first person
to uphold purity in public life. I am not afraid of any investigation
as every paise of my earnings is accounted for". But what Stalin
did not say was that he has never disclosed his assets, which is mandatory
according to the Members of the Madras City Municipal Corporation (Disclosure
of Assets) Rules, 1973, and that a case is pending in the Chennai High
Court in this regard.
It was Philip Thomas, the then secretary of the
AIADMK advocates' wing, who filed a petition on September 5, 2000 seeking
a direction to Stalin to file his returns. "There is a legislation,
brought in by Karunanidhi in the 1960s, making assets disclosure mandatory
for public servants. I am pleading for its implementation," says
Thomas. Though legal experts agree the Shenbagamurthy case may not be
as strong a case, Stalin realises its nuisance value, especially during
elections. His court visit and the plea for an immediate probe is aimed
at disposing of the case before the election process begins.
Stalin's expectations were not belied-the principal
sessions court ordered a DVAC probe, adding the report should be submitted
before March 8. AIADMK lawyers smell a rat. "Conducting a probe in
15 days is impossible," says Sampath. "It is going to be an
eye-wash, especially when the probe is to be monitored by Stalin's loving
father, who also holds the Home portfolio." Shenbagamurthy has approached
the high court seeking a thorough investigation with no deadline. If the
15-day exercise is stayed and a broader inquiry ordered, it could queer
the pitch for Stalin, who is projected as heir apparent to the DMK throne.
The DVAC too is reportedly planning to approach the court for a longer
duration for the scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Jayalalitha has instructed the advocates'
wing to dust the files of previous corruption cases against DMK ministers
and think of newer ones. Optimistic of "sweeping the polls",
the AIADMK chief thinks she could make life miserable for those who are
rejoicing at her plight. Says a party lawyer: "We plan to rake up
even closed cases. That includes the Rs 2.62-crore corruption case against
Andhiyoor Selvarasu (minister for khadi) and a smaller corruption case
against Jennifer Chandran (fisheries minister). We can even file cases
against Karunanidhi invoking the Sarkaria Commission report."
All that, as Jaya says, "once I come back
to power". But for a politician who herself is a defendant in several
graft cases, even the prospects of contesting the assembly elections border
on the ambitious.
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