Chennai: Minister Aadhav Arjuna has responded to a question about the video audio recording that surfaced, in which TVK candidate Sathyabama was said to have spoken about spending Rs. 31 crore in the last election.
In the last Assembly election, Sathyabama contested from the Dharapuram constituency on behalf of the AIADMK and won. She later left the AIADMK and joined TVK.
Following this, Sathyabama was announced as the TVK candidate in the Dharapuram constituency, where a by-election was declared. It was said that this caused widespread dissatisfaction among the public.
In this situation, an audio recording of candidate Sathyabama speaking about joining TVK went viral on social media.
In it, a video audio recording was released in which TVK candidate Sathyabama was heard saying that she spent Rs. 31 crore in the last election, that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami did not give even a single paisa, and that Rs. 14 lakh was spent on arranging rooms in a private hotel for ministers and key party functionaries who came for campaigning in the by-election.
Regarding this, DMK state organizing joint secretary and MLA S. Austin submitted a complaint petition to Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik on Tuesday.
If the amount she stated as having spent is not recorded in the election account ledger, immediate action should be taken against Sathyabama. According to election rules, if a candidate has spent more than the prescribed limit, they should be disqualified.
S. Austin said that Sathyabama’s claim that it was an edited video is a drama.
“Stalin sir spent Rs. 1,000 crore too, so I’ll also release an AI video… will you watch it?”
In this situation, Minister Aadhav Arjuna responded, “Stalin sir spent Rs. 1,000 crore too, so I’ll also release an AI video… will you watch it?”
At an event held at the Ayanavaram Social Welfare Center in Ayanavaram, which falls under the Villivakkam constituency in Chennai, Public Works and Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna participated and, under the ‘Thaimaman Gold Ring’ scheme, adorned newborn babies with gold rings.
Following this, the minister visited the Chennai Higher Secondary School there and inspected the school’s functioning. He then interacted with the students and played volleyball with them.
Later, while speaking to reporters, Minister Aadhav Arjuna was asked about an audio recording in which TVK candidate Sathiyabama was said to have spoken about spending Rs. 31 crore in the last election.
In response to this, Minister Aadhav Arjuna said, "That is an AI video. If you say Stalin sir spent Rs. 1,000 crore, I too will release an AI video tomorrow morning... will you watch it? Didn’t you realize it when the DMK posted reels at 10 a.m.?"
Minister Aadhav Arjuna’s response drew attention among reporters.