CHENNAI: A recent social media post by Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu praising the TVK government for quickly giving approvals to his free rural schools without graft, unlike the previous government, has set the cat among the pigeons, with DMK supporters attacking the tycoon online over the corruption allegations.
Vembu runs Kalaivani Kalvi Maiyam under which two free National Institute of Open Schooling-based schools function in Tenkasi and Theni. In an X post on Wednesday, he alleged approvals for the schools were delayed under the previous DMK government and that “significant money” was demanded to secure them. He said the approvals came “quickly and automatically” after the TVK assumed office.
DMK supporters questioned why Vembu had not produced evidence or approached investigating agencies if bribes had been demanded. Others cited his 2024 X post about how his schools were thriving and asked how approvals could have been withheld.
On Thursday, Vembu clarified in another X post that his original tweet had referred to pending approval for permanent buildings on the Tenkasi campus from the Directorate and Town and Country Planning, while alleging that the Theni school had faced hurdles when they attempted to get state board approval. He said the Theni school was originally run by a retired IPS officer, who couldn’t secure the required NOC for a CBSE school because of alleged demands for bribes.
School education department officials told TNIE that NIOS institutions do not require approvals from it.
Vineetha Govindasamy, founder of Abhishri Academy, backed Vembu, claiming on X that obtaining statutory clearances often involved demands for money. “At present, bribes to the school education department have stopped at the top level. We hope the online approval system will improve transparency,” said a private school association office-bearer.
Attempts to reach Vembu’s team were unsuccessful.