Stalin condemns former TN minister’s arrest, accuses Vijay govt of political vendetta

Chennai: DMK president M.K. Stalin on Monday condemned the arrest of former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, alleging that the government was using politically motivated action to divert public attention from deteriorating law and order and corruption in the administration.

Mahesh was arrested by the Central Crime Branch after the Madras High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail application in a case involving allegations that approximately Rs 100 crore had been fraudulently collected from private schools by promising recognition and statutory approvals.

Following his arrest, the former minister was taken to the Chennai Police Commissioner’s office, where Central Crime Branch officers questioned him for more than two hours.

Reacting to the development in a post on X, Stalin accused the government of pursuing a political vendetta against Mahesh despite his cooperation with investigators. He maintained that the former minister had been fully cooperating with the inquiry into the allegations against him.

Stalin alleged that the administration hoped the arrest would temporarily shift public attention away from its own failures. He linked the police action to what he described as a worsening law and order situation and deepening corruption within the government.

The DMK leader said the ruling dispensation believed that arresting Mahesh would help conceal these issues for a few days. Such actions, he asserted, would neither address public grievances nor enable the government to escape growing public anger.

Stalin also made it clear that the allegations against Mahesh would be contested through the legal process.

His statement combined an assurance of a legal response with a sharp political attack on the circumstances surrounding the arrest.

The case centres on allegations that money was collected from private school managements on assurances of securing recognition and permissions. The accusations remain subject to investigation, and the rejection of anticipatory bail does not amount to a finding of guilt.

The arrest followed the High Court’s decision earlier in the day, with investigators subsequently taking Mahesh into custody for questioning.

For the DMK, Stalin’s response framed the development as an attempt to target a former minister for political purposes. He reiterated that the government would not succeed in redirecting public resentment through arrests, while asserting that Mahesh would face the case legally. His remarks signalled the party’s support for Mahesh as the investigation proceeds.

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