TVK govt faces another controversy as Minister Wilson ordered to appear in court

Less than two months after assuming office, the TVK government in Tamil Nadu, led by C Joseph Vijay, is facing a series of controversies involving several of its ministers and leaders. The latest flashpoint is Finance Minister Marie Wilson, who has been ordered by a Puducherry court to appear in person in connection with an assault case filed by his younger brother. The case has provided fresh ammunition to the Opposition, which has questioned the government's promise of clean politics.

The case dates back to August 2022. According to the complaint, Wilson allegedly entered his younger brother's house in Ezhil Nagar, Puducherry, and assaulted both his brother and sister-in-law. The court has now directed the minister to appear in person so that the chargesheet can be formally taken on record.

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The Opposition DMK quickly seized on the development, sharing details of the case on social media and using the hashtag #TVKFails to target the ruling party over its governance and integrity claims.

Sarath Kumar's case

While the court order has put Wilson under fresh scrutiny, he is not the only minister facing controversy.

Another TVK minister, D Sarath Kumar, has come under fire after a resurfaced video appeared to show him crushing a white powdery substance on his mobile phone using an ATM card during an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match. The video quickly went viral on social media.

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Sarath denied any wrongdoing, saying the substance was medicine for his young daughter. However, the timing of the video's circulation—on the same day Chief Minister Vijay led an anti-drug marathon—intensified criticism from the Opposition, which demanded his removal from the Cabinet.

Other controversies

Minister Nirmal Kumar has also been embroiled in legal controversy. He was named in an FIR related to the deadly Karur rally stampede and was briefly arrested over remarks he made regarding the case.

Even as he deals with his own legal issues, Nirmal has emerged as one of the strongest voices attacking the DMK over another political controversy involving the ruling party.

The latest political flashpoint centres on allegations that TVK MLA N Elaiyaraja was offered Rs 35 crore to vote against the Assembly Speaker during a proposed no-confidence motion.

Bribery allegations

Police have arrested three people in connection with the alleged bribery plot. TVK has accused DMK leaders, including V Senthil Balaji and his brother Ashok Kumar, of orchestrating an attempt to destabilise the Vijay government.

The DMK has rejected the allegations, accusing TVK of trying to poach its own MLAs and dismissing the charges as politically motivated.

With multiple controversies involving key ministers and political leaders surfacing within weeks of assuming office, the TVK government finds itself under growing political pressure. Whether Vijay's administration can contain the fallout from these cases is likely to remain a key political question in the coming weeks.

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