Video shows TVK office bearer accepting bribe from contractor, party sacks him

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has come under political scrutiny after a video  showing one of its office-bearers accepting money from a government contractor went viral on social media. Hours after the clip surfaced, the party expelled NV Veera, president of the Mambakkam Panchayat Union and joint secretary of TVK's Chengalpattu East district unit.The video shows Veera accepting Rs 30,000 in cash, while another person is heard saying that Rs 1 lakh had already been transferred electronically, taking the total amount to Rs 1.30 lakh. The footage is believed to have been recorded covertly by the contractor. What was of bigger embarrassment for the TVK was that the video surfaced a couple of days after Chief Minister VIjay, told a crowd in Karur that they will not allow corruption. He said, “If anyone demands a bribe from you, just say you won’t pay it. I stand with you. Even after that if someone forces you, tell them, ‘our son, our brother, our Vijay is the one ruling this state.’ Tell them very strongly.”Responding to the allegations, Veera denied accepting a bribe and claimed the video was part of a conspiracy to malign TVK. "The person in the video, Navin, had taken money from me and was returning it. Will anyone take a bribe so openly? This is a conspiracy by the DMK," he told reporters.The clip was shared by BJP leader Vinoj P Selvam who made fun of the Chief Minister. "The words of the pure power owner, Mr Vijay, who said, 'We will not touch the people's money,' come to mind. Wearing the mask of pure power, everything done is nothing but theft work. Some people make excuses saying it takes at least six months for newcomers to learn administration. But it doesn't take that much time to steal!" he wrote.Soon after the controversy erupted, TVK announced Veera's expulsion. "As he acted in a manner that brought disrepute to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, Veera (alias Veerasamy), who served as the Chengalpattu East District Joint Secretary, has been removed from the party's primary membership and all responsibilities with immediate effect," the party said in a statement. The disciplinary order was issued by Chengalpattu East district secretary CV Dhinakaran alias Dheena.The controversy comes hours after the Tamil Nadu government issued fresh directions to strengthen public awareness against bribery by mandating anti-corruption displays across all government offices, boards, local bodies and state-run corporations.Under the new directive, all public offices must prominently display bilingual notice boards carrying the message, "Bribe giving and receiving is an offence", along with the contact details of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), including its dedicated WhatsApp helpline, 94981 80936, for reporting bribery complaints.In its order, the government said it was issuing consolidated instructions after finding that several departments had failed to properly display the mandatory anti-corruption boards despite repeated directions issued between 2006 and 2018.The government has also instructed all departments, local bodies and public sector undertakings to incorporate the anti-bribery message into their digital platforms. Official websites must display the warning prominently and provide a direct link to the DVAC portal.To ensure compliance, Inspection Wings and Inspection Cells functioning under District Collectorates have been tasked with conducting surprise inspections across government establishments to verify whether the directions are being implemented.The allegations against Veera have drawn attention because of TVK founder Vijay's repeated public commitments to combating corruption.Since entering politics, Vijay has consistently projected corruption as one of the central issues his party intends to address. In his first major address after TVK was allotted the "whistle" symbol, he described the 2026 Assembly election as a fight against corruption and bribery, while asserting that neither past nor future leaders of his party would indulge in corrupt practices.He has also told party workers that "no one can buy us" and urged them not to be influenced by money or inducements.Vijay has repeatedly promised that a TVK government would be free from corruption. "I won't touch a paisa of people's money," he has said, adding that his administration would not allow corruption to take root.In another speech, he declared, "The TVK government knows how to serve people, but we don't know how to siphon off public money." He also promised that any corruption cases that emerged under his government would be investigated without sparing those responsible.This story was written by a student interning with TNM