BJP embarrassed as TN ex-history sheeter welcomes Amit Shah | Powertrip #107

Welcome to this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter exclusively curated for TNM and NL subscribers by Dhanya Rajendran, Shabbir Ahmed, and Pooja Prasanna. After the BJP found itself in a bind over a photograph of a former history-sheeter from Tamil Nadu posing with Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to Madurai, a report by state president Nainar Nagenthiran only embarrassed the party further. The arrest of an ADGP following court orders over his alleged involvement in the abduction of a minor boy has put the DMK government on the back foot. In the political and administrative fallout that followed the tragic stampede in Bengaluru, Powertrip learnt of one senior figure who has quietly avoided consequences so far..Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes only.The ‘anti-social’ irony of BJP: Ex-history sheeter welcomes Amit Shah The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its supporters, who are often quick to label critics as “anti-nationals” and “anti-social elements”, found themselves in a bind after a photograph of KR Venkatesh, a former history-sheeter from Tamil Nadu, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his recent visit to Madurai went viral on social media. The photo, shared by Venkatesh himself on his X handle, showed him welcoming Amit Shah. He tagged several prominent handles, including those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the PMO, and senior BJP leaders such as former Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai. What raised eyebrows and triggered alarm within the party and bureaucracy was that Venkatesh had also tagged the official Twitter handles of the Tamil Nadu Police, Andhra Pradesh Police, and the Telangana DGP.The concern was not unfounded.KR Venkatesh was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Police in 2015 on charges of smuggling red sandalwood to foreign countries. The 54-year-old has seven pending cases against him at the M4 Redhills Police Station in Chennai, including a case of attempted murder. He was previously booked under the Goondas Act in 2011 and was officially registered as a history-sheeter. Though he managed to get the history sheet quashed via a writ petition in the Madras High Court in 2013, his controversial past continues to shadow him.Venkatesh’s apparent flaunting of his connections with the Home Minister’s Office was flagged by central agencies, leading to an internal inquiry. The Home Minister’s Office reportedly sought an explanation from the state BJP president and pulled him up on how Venkatesh managed to be in the official reception party for the Union Home Minister.According to BJP sources, the list of people receiving or sending off high-profile leaders from Delhi is usually prepared by the state unit of the BJP. Venkatesh, who currently serves as the Tamil Nadu BJP OBC Morcha wing functionary, found his way to the list through a recommendation.When questioned by the Home Minister’s Office, Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagenthiran submitted a report detailing how Venkatesh was inducted into the party during Annamalai’s tenure and given a key position despite his criminal background. But Nagenthiran didn’t stop there, he also submitted a list of other history-sheeters – at least 130 rowdies categorised A, B, C by the Tamil Nadu police – who have allegedly been inducted into the BJP under former state presidents L Murugan and Annamalai’s leadership.Sources say these revelations have shocked the BJP high command, which is now unsure about how to contain the fallout. Meanwhile, a day after meeting Amit Shah, Venkatesh was arrested by the Tamil Nadu police on charges of blackmail and extortion, based on a complaint filed by a Chennai-based businessman..Minor abduction case: ADGP role causes embarrassment to ruling DMKFor the first time in Tamil Nadu’s history, the Madras High Court ordered the arrest of a top-ranking police officer, an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), sending shockwaves through the state bureaucracy and causing huge embarrassment for the ruling DMK government.HM Jayaram, who served as ADGP of the Armed Police in Chennai, was taken into custody on June 16 following the court’s order, after his alleged involvement in aiding and abetting the abduction of a minor boy was revealed by the police in open court.What stunned investigators was the discovery that the minor was abducted in the official vehicle of ADGP Jayaram, with the alleged involvement of KV Kuppam MLA Jagan Moorthy. As local police began investigating the case, they reportedly faced pressure to exclude the IPS officer’s name and vehicle number from the records.However, when the matter was brought to the attention of senior officers in the zone, a directive was issued to conduct a thorough investigation. Crucial CCTV footage confirmed the use of the IPS officer’s official vehicle in the abduction and call records revealed that ADGP Jayaram had been in constant contact with the suspects. A detailed report was submitted to the state government and the DGP seeking further instructions.However, in an unexpected turn, MLA Jagan Moorthy approached the court seeking anticipatory bail, prompting the police to reveal the full extent of the case. Justice Velmurugan of the Madras High Court, shocked by the revelation of a senior IPS officer’s role and misuse of his official vehicle, took the unprecedented step of ordering Jayaram’s arrest.The state government nor the Police Department expected such a drastic step from the Madras High Court. Now, the state government has placed the ADGP under suspension and has allowed the police to question him.Sources in the Tamil Nadu government told TNM that there was pressure from inside the bureaucracy to intervene. The ADGP has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court order and his team is hoping that the apex court will grant him relief. As of now he has been questioned by the police and allowed to go home. This development has placed the Tamil Nadu police under immense scrutiny and the DGP is now working to manage the fallout. The involvement of an ADGP in such a serious crime, the abduction of a minor, is a major embarrassment for the DMK government, particularly in an election year. Now Chief Minister MK Stalin and senior bureaucrats find themselves on the back foot.The case originated from a complaint filed by Lakshmi, the mother of the minor. Her elder son Dhanush (23) had married Vijaya Sri (21) against the wishes of the latter’s family. With the couple reportedly in hiding, members of the girl’s family allegedly attempted to abduct her. When they failed to locate the couple, they targeted Dhanush’s younger brother, a minor, and had him abducted from his house in Thiruvalangadu by a hired gang on May 10. The minor was later found injured and abandoned near a hotel..After RCB stampede, Chief Secretary faces uneasy spotlightIn the days since the RCB victory celebrations turned into a deadly stampede, the political and administrative fallout has been swift. Several police officers were suspended, and CM Siddaramaiah’s political secretary, Govindraj, was removed from his post. But amid the chaos, one senior figure has quietly avoided consequences so far — Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh.Her role in the lead-up to the event is now drawing scrutiny. She was one of the key officials who reportedly assured the CM that the celebration plans proposed by the KSCA and RCB were sound. More notably, it was she who extended an official invitation to the Governor for the event at the steps of the Vidhana Soudha, effectively endorsing it as a state-sanctioned function.Despite these decisions, Shalini has remained untouched by the wave of suspensions. That immunity is being attributed to her close working relationship with the CM and with Govindraj, who has since been axed. But her continued presence has not gone down well within the IAS community.Shalini is not known for being particularly popular among senior IAS officers, and her perceived lack of accountability in this high-profile debacle has deepened that resentment. Adding to the discontent is the recent departure of LK Atheeq, the IAS officer whose services were extended after his retirement in January. Atheeq chose to step away from the Chief Minister’s Office, reportedly due to internal tensions and a growing rift with a senior bureaucrat — believed by many to be Shalini herself. His exit happened just as the stampede crisis erupted although it was set in motion well before, leaving a void in the state’s top administrative team.Faced with that leadership gap, the CM is said to believe that transferring or suspending Shalini now would risk even more instability. 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BJP embarrassed as TN ex-history sheeter welcomes Amit Shah | Powertrip #107

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