Chennai, Aug 26 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Health Minister KG Arunraj on Wednesday defended Finance Minister N Marie Wilson after Wilson admitted he had paid a bribe, calling him a whistleblower and a victim of “systemic extortion” under the previous DMK government.
Arunraj was responding to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Nainar Nagenthran’s demand that Wilson be removed from the Cabinet and face legal action for admitting to paying a bribe.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Apollo Multi Speciality Hospital in Chennai, the Health Minister maintained that Wilson had not willingly participated in corruption. According to him, officials had compelled the Finance Minister to make the payment by allegedly making bribery mandatory for private educational institutions under the previous administration.
“He is a victim of forced bribery and corruption. He was forced to make the payment,” Arunraj said, rejecting the BJP’s argument that offering a bribe was as much a criminal offence as accepting one.
The minister alleged that authorities and officials in power during the previous regime had created a system under which private schools and colleges were forced to make illegal payments to secure approvals and other official clearances. Since Wilson had now publicly disclosed the alleged practice, Arunraj said he should be considered a whistleblower rather than an accused. He added that the law protects people who expose wrongdoing and called for a proper investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the payment and identify those who allegedly demanded it.
The controversy began after Wilson told the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday that he had been forced to pay a bribe to the School Education Department during the previous DMK government. His statement triggered a political row, with the BJP demanding his resignation and prosecution. Former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi also sought an investigation by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti‑Corruption into what he described as Wilson’s “confession” of paying a bribe.
Arunraj was also questioned about concerns over agricultural land being diverted for industrial projects. While declining to respond to specific cases, he clarified the government’s position on development and land acquisition.
The government was not opposed to development, he said, but would resist forced acquisition and projects implemented against local communities’ wishes. Development initiatives must respect public consent and safeguard people’s interests, Arunraj added.
–IANS
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