Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's plan to shift to a new office has landed him in the middle of a raging political controversy, with the Opposition alleging irregularities in the tender process.
Vijay intends to shift the Chief Minister's Office from Fort St. George to Namakkal Kavingar Maaligai in Chennai to provide more workspace for his staff. According to reports, construction is already underway.
Recently, a Rs 5.5-crore tender was floated by the government for the shifting.
Levelling the first-ever corruption allegation against the three-month-old government, the Bharatiya Janata Party alleged that the tender had been released a month after construction commenced.
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"In stark contrast to all the tall claims made by the new TVK government about bringing in transparency to the government tender process, a news article by a leading daily today has openly alleged many discrepancies in the tender process in connection with the new chief minister's office for Vijay. The article states that the tender work is worth about Rs 5.5 crores, and that there have been multiple irregularities in the tender process. It has been only 100 days since the TVK government came to power, and already the government is under the scanner," said BJP leader CR Kesavan.
DMK MLA EV Velu also reacted to the row.
"Shifting his office is his personal choice. We can't interfere in it. Even we are happy in a way with the chief minister shifting his office, as that building was constructed by Kalaignar Karunanidhi. But an Indian newspaper report says there are irregularities in the tender, which was not floated online either. We seek clarification from the government. You speak about purity in tenders. But news reports say the tender has been invited after works began for the office," he said.
Also read: Row Over 3 'Poachers' Shot Dead In Karnataka, Vijay Says They Were Tamils
TVK Reacts
Tamil Nadu minister Aadhav Arjuna has refuted the allegations.
"The news reports are false," he said.
"The chief minister feels that just like him, everyone else who's working with him should also have a comfortable workspace. His officers and staff are now working in a space that's not even 100 sq ft. That's why we are planning a temporary shift of his office. Our chief minister is naturally down-to-earth and flexible...During campaigns, he'll even be okay with resting in a simple hotel or a van," he added.
He further said that former chief ministers M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa wanted to establish a new secretariat but could not due to political circumstances.
"We have had the same building for over 100 years. The office hasn't changed in consonance with the change in administration. Hence, we need to update it," he added.
He assured that the tender process will be transparent.
"No benami companies will be used. We will ensure no leakage to the government's treasury," he added.
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/43RB5C0
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