M K Stalin demands resignation of Tamil Nadu IT minister

CHENNAI: After the Centre rejected a Bharatnet tender floated by Tamil Nadu IT department, DMK president M K Stalin on Saturday asked whether IT minister R B Udayakumar would resign from his post or whether he would be dismissed.
“This has turned out to be a big joke, right from Fort St George to Red Fort in New Delhi,” said Stalin.
The Centre heard the case filed by Arappor Iyakkam through videoconferencing and found that bidding conditions were discriminatory and restrictive in nature. The tenders were worth ?2,000 crore, he said.
He said the DMK had filed a case before the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on the issue, but the Madras high court closed the case after DVAC said there was no wrong motive in floating the tender.
The case was filed by DMK’s organising secretary R S Bharathi. Udayakumar had lied that there was no corruption and the tenders were floated properly, he said.
Stalin said, “The minister earlier accused me of lying to the public when I mentioned that the tenders were not floated in a proper manner. Now the Centre has cancelled the entire tender. What action is the government going to take against the minister, IT department officials and DVAC officials. The chief minister should answer these questions to the public.”
Meanwhile, AMMK deputy general secretary T T V Dhinakaran welcomed the Centre’s decision and said, “Corruption accusations against Edappadi K Palaniswami’s government on floating the tender have come true now. This is just the beginning. In the coming days, tenders floated by various departments in favour of their relatives will come out,” Dhinakaran said.