TIRUCHY: As the polling day for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election approaches, the kidney racket issue has emerged as a key flashpoint between the AIADMK and the DMK in Manachanallur constituency in Tiruchy, with the DMK candidate announcing to quit politics if the allegations are proved.
Challenging his critics to provide proof of kidney trafficking, DMK candidate and sitting MLA S Kathiravan said, “I promise to quit politics and pay Rs 1 crore (to anyone) if the allegations are substantiated.”
The response from Kathiravan comes following the constant attack from AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on the alleged involvement of a hospital, run by his family, last year in the kidney trafficking racket.
Kathiravan, who is contesting from Manachanallur for the second time, has continued to deny the allegations. His latest response caught the attention of many on social media. At a campaign in Ayyampalayam, he defended that the issue was not ‘kidney theft’ but related to submission of fake certificates by the donor and recipient.
He also said that kidney theft would imply organ removal without the donor’s knowledge or consent, which, he asserted, did not occur in this case. He said the hospital only performed the transplant surgery, and they had no idea about any documentation irregularities.
Kathiravan told TNIE, “More than 60,000 families have benefited through my hospital, and no one has raised any complaint so far. The allegations are baseless. People trust me, and they will vote for me again this time.”