A delegation of the ruling AIADMK in the state met with Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Tuesday over the Kodanadu controversy sparked by the release of a video documentary on an attempted burglary at late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s estate.
According to a report in the Times of India, the meeting was an attempt to ‘present facts’ to the Governor, coming a day after Leader of the Opposition and DMK President MK Stalin met with the Governor and submitted a petition, calling for the resignation of Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami.
The investigative report by former Tehelka journalist Samuel Mathews on the sensational attempted burglary and murder of watchman Om Bahadur in April 2017 was aired to the press at the Delhi Press Club on Friday. Two men, Sayan and 'Walayar' Manoj, allegedly part of the gang that attempted to break in to the 200-acre estate, appear in the video and claim that the hit job was ordered by Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami. The duo was arrested in New Delhi on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters outside the Raj Bhavan, AIADMK Deputy Coordinator KP Munusamy who led the delegation along with Deputy Coordinator R Vaithilingam said, “Apprehensive about his party’s defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, Stalin submitted a petition to the governor to discredit the AIADMK’s good governance and the growing popularity of the chief minister. We told the governor that it was the DMK’s attempt to seek political mileage.”
MK Stalin pressed the Governor on Monday, demanding the President of India be made aware of the situation. He also reiterated the demand for a Special Investigation Team probe into the case and called for the resignation of Chief Minister Palaniswami.
Stalin had also alleged that the chief minister pressured former Nilgiris Superintendent of Police Murali Rambha into giving an interview to the press on Monday. “The case was earlier investigated by SP Murali Rambha and declared that Kanakaraj's death was an accident. The chief minister has given in to pressure and this made him give an interview related to this. The chief minister is involved in an effort to destroy the evidence remaining in this murder case. He is using the police department for this,” he said.