Legacy vs ‘not for luxury’: War of words in Tamil Nadu assembly over ' ₹5.54-crore' tender to shift CM Vijay's office
TVK minister Aadhav Arjuna said that the decision to shift CM Vijay's office was simply due to lack of basic amenities in the current building.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly witnessed a heated debate on Tuesday over a plan to relocate Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's office to a new building within the Secretariat complex. The opposition party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), claimed that the ₹5.54 crore tender, issued for the relocation, was marred by irregularities.
DMK leader EV Velu accused the government of shifting the CM's office to a luxurious building, overlooking the fact that many chief ministers, including Amma (Jayalalithaa) and Kalaignar, had worked from the existing office. Velu emphasized that the new building was constructed by a Tamil, Kalaignar, and called the government's decision a personal luxury.
However, Tamil Nadu's Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna defended the tender process, stating that the issue was not about personal luxury. He clarified that the tender notification was published in newspapers on August 13 but uploaded to the official website four days later. Arjuna dismissed the opposition's allegation of corruption, asserting that the tender process was incomplete and no funds had been spent yet.
He also defended the decision to construct the new building, stating that the chief minister was relocating to ensure a comfortable working environment for himself and officials.
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