"No Concession For Donation": DMK Tackles Attack Over 'Lottery King' Donor

Hitting back at rival AIADMK's offensive on the electoral bonds issue, the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has said it had transparently disclosed the names of donors and stressed that the MK Stalin government gave no concession in exchange for donation.

This comes after data released by the Election Commission of India showed that Future Gaming and Hotel Services, the top donor through electoral bonds, gave Rs 509 crore to DMK. Future Gaming's owner Santiago Martin, also known as "lottery king", has been under the radar of the Enforcement Directorate.

Soon after the data was released, DMK's arch-rival AIADMK launched a scathing attack. Edappadi K Palaniswami, leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly and AIADMK general secretary, cited the DMK government's law against online gaming. "The state government enacted a namesake, weak law banning online gambling and shamefully received cash from a gambling company that pledges people's lives," Mr Palaniswami said.

Denying the allegations, DMK MP TR Baalu said the MK Stalin government has enacted the law against online gaming after a long struggle and no concession was extended to the gaming company. "It was the Governor who delayed assent to the law, and the government got it re-enacted. It was the Governor who met owners of online gaming companies," he added.

In 2021, the then AIADMK government had brought a law to ban online gambling. This legislation was later struck down by the Madras High Court. After the DMK government took over in 2022, the MK Stalin government formed a committee headed by a retired high court judge to look into online gaming. Based on the panel's recommendation, a fresh Bill was tabled and it cleared the House. After some delay, the Governor gave his assent. The law was challenged in Madras High Court. The court refused to strike it down, but said the law will not apply to games of skill such as rummy.

In his counterattack, Mr Baalu slammed Mr Palaniswami over his silence on what he termed "BJP's extortion". "Fourteen of the 30 companies intimidated by the Enforcement Directorate have donated large sums to the BJP. Does EPS have the spine to condemn it?" The AIADMK and the BJP parted ways last year, but the DMK has called this snapping of ties a "drama".

The electoral bonds revelation in the wake of the landmark Supreme Court judgment has sparked a massive political row, with rivals targeting each other as more information comes to the fore.

The BJP, the data shows, got Rs 6,986.50 crore through the now-scrapped donation method - the highest among all parties. Trinamool Congress (Rs 1,397 crore) and the Congress (Rs 1,334 crore) are distant second and third. The poll body has also released information by political parties on the donation they received through bonds. Ten recognised parties, including the DMK, have also named the donors along with the amounts they contributed.

In Tamil Nadu, the revelations have triggered political strikes and counterstrikes. DMK chief MK Stalin has said the electoral bonds facilitated the BJP's "white collar corruption". Congress leader P Chidambaram has said "ill-gotten money did not go to the ED and government coffers as claimed, but to the BJP by extortion".

BJP leaders from the state have hit back. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, speaking at a media house event, said, "Despite donations, we went behind them, do you get the point?" State BJP chief K Annamalai said, "The BJP is in power in 18 states. Going by pro rata, this is less compared to what DMK - only ruling Tamil Nadu - has received."