CHENNAI: Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Sunday lashed out at DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, accusing of ‘pretending to be innocent’ with regard to the probe into the granite scam. Panneerselvam said it was the AIADMK government that had acted against the scam, and said the previous DMK government led by Karunanidhi had attempted to cover it up in view of the involvement of his grandson, Dayanidhi Alagiri.
Panneerselvam’s strongly worded statement came in response to a statement by Karunanidhi that the State government was hampering an inquiry led by former Madurai District Collector U Sagayam.
Panneerselvam said a circular from the Industries Department, during the previous DMK regime, calling for a multi-agency probe into the scam had been ignored by the Chief Minister’s office, before being sent back to the Industries Department. He added that the DMK government had taken no further steps on the circular, dated August 8, 2010, and added that any movement forward had happened only after the AIADMK came to power.
Panneerselvam also said the DMK government had attempted to cover up the whole scam, through a report from the then Madurai District Collector’s office, stating that no irregularities had taken place and that media reports of the scam could be dismissed as attempts to create confusion among workers.
Listing out the various steps taken by the AIADMK government with regard to the scam, Panneerselvam also drew attention to an observation by the Madras High Court on September 28 that the government had failed to act on the matter despite having reports that a scam had taken place.
“This is a clear indicator that the previous DMK government had tried to cover up the scam, and that it was this government that has taken action on it. Despite this, Karunanidhi has issued a statement feigning innocence on the matter,” said Panneerselvam. “No matter how much he pretends, Karunanidhi cannot become a saint,” he added.