'Rs 35-cr plot to topple Vijay govt': 3 arrested, Senthil Balaji's brother absconding

Chennai police have arrested at least three people for allegedly attempting to bribe a sitting TVK MLA with ₹35 crore. The MLA, allegedly, was asked to either vote against a proposed no-confidence motion against the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker, or to defect from the TVK.

The arrests have sent shockwaves through Tamil Nadu's political landscape, reviving allegations of horse-trading and destabilisation attempts against the seven-week-old C Joseph Vijay government. The ties of some of the persons involved in the case with DMK leader V Senthil Balaji has heightened public interest in it.

Who's arrested?

Police sources confirmed to The Federal that the arrested persons include Indian Political Democratic Strategies (IPDS) functionary and surveyor C Thirunavukkarasu, and Karur businessman and eatery owner Naresh (who is also being referred to as 'Ramesh'). Two more, named by some reports as Thiyagarajan and Karthik, are also reportedly arrested.

Naresh is said to be a close associate of V Senthil Balaji, former minister. At least three of these people have been remanded to 15 days' judicial custody. Two more suspects have been secured and are being brought to Chennai.

The arrests followed a complaint lodged by N Elaiyaraja, TVK MLA from Uthangarai (Krishnagiri district), who alleged that a middleman offered him a massive bribe to switch sides or support moves aimed at weakening the TVK government.

TVK's crackdown on former ministers

The TVK government, sworn in on May 10, has begun aggressive anti-corruption drives, reopening cases against several former DMK ministers. Prominent among them is Senthil Balaji, who served as Electricity and Transport Minister in the previous DMK regime.

He faces multiple ongoing probes, including the 2023 cash-for-jobs scam — in which the ED arrested him — a ₹397-crore transformer procurement scam during his tenure, and fresh money-laundering allegations. The TVK administration has sought Governor Rajendra Arlekar's sanction to prosecute Senthil Balaji in several cases.

Also Read: MK Stalin has a question | Will Vijay's TVK govt last three months?

In response, the DMK has accused the new government of vendetta politics, while TVK leaders claim they are merely cleaning up the previous regime's "corrupted legacy."

How the alleged plot unfolded

According to the detailed police narrative and statements from TVK Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar, the conspiracy unfolded in two steps:

Targeted bribe to a specific MLA: Middlemen allegedly approached Elaiyaraja with an offer of ₹35 crore in exchange for defecting, or voting in a manner that would help the Opposition in the no-confidence motion against the Speaker.

A broader destabilisation plan: Intelligence inputs suggested a coordinated effort to engineer the simultaneous resignation of 10–15 TVK MLAs, which would have drastically reduced the ruling alliance's numbers and potentially triggered a constitutional crisis.

The plot was allegedly hatched in Karur, with key meetings taking place at the residence of Senthil Balaji's brother, Ashok Kumar.

Ashok Kumar's alleged role and manhunt

Police claim Ashok Kumar played a central role in coordinating with the accused. Raids on his premises yielded "important documents" linked to the conspiracy. He is currently absconding, and a manhunt is underway.

Nirmal Kumar told The Federal, "Offers of up to ₹50 crore were made to several TVK MLAs. The operation was carried out under the orders of (DMK MLA)Udhayanidhi Stalin. A Karur company, linked to persons close to Senthil Balaji, was actively involved in the bribery attempts. DMK functionaries were systematically targeting TVK legislators to collapse the government."

The investigation so far

The TVK high command has reportedly been closely monitoring its MLAs for the past 25 days after receiving initial intelligence inputs. Chennai police, acting on Elaiyaraja's complaint, swung into action swiftly. The four accused were picked up and are being interrogated, with their mobile phone records, call detail records and financial transactions under scrutiny to map the larger network.

Also Read: Reality check for TVK’s clean politics pitch as ED targets another DMK leader

Thirunavukkarasu of IPDS, listed as accused No. 1, allegedly met and negotiated with the MLA on behalf of interests linked to Senthil Balaji's circle. The conspiracy, police say, aimed not only at individual defections but at a coordinated move to bring down the TVK government through engineered resignations.

The Tamil Nadu Intelligence Department played a crucial role in foiling the larger plot. The investigation is continuing, and more arrests or raids are expected; police have not ruled out the involvement of bigger political players.

Political reactions

TVK leaders have described the development as a desperate attempt by the Opposition to destabilise a democratically elected government. Nirmal Kumar said the party's high command had anticipated such moves and remained vigilant. Vijay's office has so far refrained from commenting, letting the police and intelligence handle the matter.

The episode comes at a sensitive time, with several AIADMK MLAs having already resigned and joined TVK in recent weeks, strengthening the ruling side's position.