Tamil Nadu
DMK's Ad Spending Via Company Owned By CM Stalin's Son-In-Law Becomes Talking Point After Annamalai Cites It As Example Of Crony Capitalism
Annamalai (L); CM Stalin (C) and Sabareesan (R)
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (DMK) expenditure on social media ads has come under scrutiny recently after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Annamalai's remarks at a press meet.
He said that the DMK had spent a sum of Rs 7,39,93,750 crore for its social media ads and the amount was given to Populous Empowerment Network (PEN), a company in which Chief Minister M K Stalin's son-in-law, V Sabareesan has a 99 per cent stake.
He added that it is this kind of crony capitalism and dynastic politics that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to end.
The ads referred to by Annamalai were for promoting social media posts made by a page called "Ellorum Nammudan," according to a report by The Commune.
For instance, a few lakh rupees were spent for every ad campaign to promote a song portraying the DMK government in a good light.
The report further states that PEN has another page called "Stalinin Kural" which spent Rs 5,035,742 on ads. Earlier a report by Economic Times stated that PEN had spent Rs 9.25 crore on Google ads.
Sabareesan and Chief Minister Stalin's son Udhayanidhi Stalin were at the centre of controversy last year as they were said to have amassed Rs 30000 crore in an audio tape alleged to be that of the state's former Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
