Sridhar Vembu renews criticism of DMK, raises corruption allegations
Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has once again criticised the DMK, alleging that corruption was widespread during the party’s tenure in power.
In a post on social media platform X, Vembu claimed that corruption levels in Tamil Nadu had reached unprecedented levels and suggested that concerns about the issue were widely recognised.
He referred to former Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PTR), describing him as a person of integrity who allegedly found himself surrounded by a corrupt political environment.
Vembu’s remarks recalled the controversy surrounding leaked audio clips that surfaced in 2023. The recordings, circulated on social media and highlighted by political opponents, allegedly featured PTR making corruption-related accusations against members of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s family.
PTR rejected the recordings, insisting they were fabricated and intended to damage his reputation. Soon after the controversy, he was moved from the Finance Department to the Information Technology portfolio in a cabinet reshuffle.
Vembu argued that the episode demonstrated the consequences of speaking openly about corruption. He also stressed that his criticism of the DMK was not driven by ideology, noting that he has publicly appreciated leaders from other political backgrounds when he believed they served the public honestly.
The entrepreneur has previously clashed with the DMK over comments made by Udhayanidhi Stalin regarding Sanatana Dharma. Earlier this year, Vembu argued that those remarks had contributed to growing anti-DMK sentiment among sections of Tamil Nadu’s Hindu population.