Jeyaranjan mentions the infamous 'Thirumangalam Formula' (distribution of money to voters in the constituency), saying that it gained notoriety during the 2009 by-election that happened under the DMK regime and mentions that around ₹3000-5000 were given by the ruling DMK then to win the elections.
Alleged 'economist' J. Jeyaranjan, who was appointed to the Tamil Nadu State Development Policy Council formed by the MK Stalin-led DMK government when it came to power in May 2021, had written a paper in 2019 in which he accused the DMK of massive corruption engaged in illegal sand mining and mafia.
Details of the essay written by Jeyaranjan and the insinuations made by him on the DMK and its leaders have been brought to light in a blog that goes by the name 'Othisaivu '.
The essay written by Jeyaranjan titled "Sand and the politics of plunder in Tamil Nadu, India" is part of a book named" The Wild East: Criminal Political Economies in South Asia, edited by Barbara Harriss and White & Lucia Michelutti and published by the University College, London Press in 2019.
In the essay, Jeyaranjan deals with the 'sand mafia' in Tamil Nadu and details the nexus between the politicians-bureaucrats-sand-mafia and how the money is routed to fund election expenses.
Jeyaranjan has taken on all Dravidian parties from 1980 and has accused the DMK and its leaders of monstrous corruption.
Jeyaranjan observes that corruption has come to be understood as a by-product of Dravidian politics and uses the phrase 'Pork Barrel Transfers', which refers to the spending of taxpayers money by a politician to buy votes in the ensuing elections.
He also mentions the infamous 'Thirumangalam Formula' (distribution of money to voters in the constituency), saying that it gained notoriety during the 2009 by-election that happened under the DMK regime. He mentions that around ₹3000-5000 were given by the ruling DMK then to win the elections.
Source: Othisaivu
Jeyaranjan states in no uncertain terms that during by-elections, each cabinet minister is given charge of 10,000 voters to ensure that they all vote for the current ruling party. He also says, 'maybe 20 Ministers' would be deputed to do the deed of payment/bribing of ₹5000/- to each voter while mentioning the state's politics.
He also mentions how 'sand' became an important source of cash for the politicians from Dravidian parties and adds that they formed cartels cutting across party lines to bid low and win contracts for sand mining. He says that sand had become the perennial source of funds for the Dravidian political parties.
Source: Othisaivu
He also mentions that a major portion of the income earned through sand went to the ruling party chief. It is noteworthy to mention that the 'ruling party chief' from 1996 to 2001 was M. Karunanidhi, father of the current CM of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin.
Source: Othisaivu
Jeyaranjan mentions the various ways by which all laws were flouted so that the sand mafia goons ₹50 Crores, with just an 'investment' of ₹1 lakh.
K Ramaswamy was the sand lifting contractor who made huge money, and it was the Public Works Department under the erstwhile DMK Govt that gave lease. A judgement to a lawsuit filed noted that awarding of the contract was borne out of 'corrupt motive' and 'corrupt obligation.'
Source: Othisaivu
Jeyaranjan also had published a 'rate card' for the kickbacks paid by the sand lifting contractor for a given quarry in a given area.
– Local village Councillors: ₹10, 000/- per month
– Local village Panchayat President: ₹100, 000/- per month
– Local member of legislative assembly (MLA): ₹5, 00, 000/- per month
Jeyaranjan also notes that the following are included for monthly 'payments' – Union secretaries of the main ruling party and the Opposition party, officials of 'all departments concerned', District Collectors, District Superintendents of Police, all relevant officers further down the line and local representatives of the 'press'.
Jeyaranjan also notes that the following are included for monthly 'payments' – Union secretaries of the main ruling party and the Opposition party, officials of 'all departments concerned', District Collectors, District Superintendents of Police, all relevant officers further down the line and local representatives of the 'press'.
However, the most important point that Jeyaranjan drives home is that the chief of the ruling party of Tamil Nadu loots ₹10 crores per day through the sand mafia. In effect, he directly accuses the late DMK patriarch Karunanidhi and his son MK Stalin, who is now his colleague in the Tamil Nadu State Development Policy Council, of massive corruption.
(This article is based on inputs from Othisaivu)
Courtesy: The Commune
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