V K Sasikala and O Panneerselvam (file photo)

CHENNAI: In what could have serious ramifications over the future of the Edappadi K Palaniswami government in Tamil Nadu, a sting investigation carried out by Times Now and Moon TV has exposed that AIADMK legislators were paid bribes by party general secretary V K Sasikala , in return for supporting Palaniswami during the trust vote held on February 18.

The sting investigation also jeopardises the fate of O Panneerselvam (OPS) camp as an OPS sympathiser is caught on camera discussing money that was paid by the former chief minister's camp in a bid to get MLAs to switch sides.

Palaniswami won the trust vote held in the state assembly on the back of support offered by 122 AIADMK legislators.

The sting tapes – released by Times Now on Tuesday – shows South Madurai legislator S S Saravanan, who reportedly switched to the OPS camp in a sensational fashion by escaping the Koovathur resort.

Long time AIADMK party man and Sulur MLA R Kanagaraj, who voted in favour of Palaniswami, is the other person caught on record, in the first of a four-part expose aired by the news channel.

"If they had given what was promised in that second, many wouldn't have switched camps. All this was not needed...if they had asked us to go home and come back again, we would have gone there like a herd. That's how we are. Have you seen anyone raising question in the AIADMK?" said Saravanan.

Despite the cash restriction, three MLAs allegedly hit the jackpot, according to Saravanan. In the sting video, he named Kangeyam legislator U Thaniyarasu, Nagapattinam constituency representative M Thamimun Ansari and actor/politician S Karunaas, who is the Tiruvadanai MLA, as having accepted Rs 10 crore as bribe. "They got Rs 10 crore. Others have not even received Rs 1 crore," he said.

Saravanan was speaking to Shahnawaz Khan, managing director of Moon TV, when he revealed the party atmosphere prevalent at the Golden Bay resort.

"There was nothing wrong (in Koovathur). There was liquor...Karunaas will drink. It was not like how it was reported in TV and news that MLAs were threatened," Saravanan said. Saravanan’s words contradicted with what he had said after he "escaped" from Koovathur resort. Then he had alleged that the MLAs lodged in the resort had been threatened.

Saravanan then spilled the beans on the OPS camp saying that those who were sidelined by late former chief minister J Jayalalithaa had reorganised to form a rival faction. "Those who were sidelined by Amma (Jayalalithaa) are a team now. Dr Maitreyan, KP Munusamy, PH Pandian, Natham Viswanathan and OPS. They all fell out of Amma's favour," he said.

He then explained the rationale behind switching to OPS camp. "If I was with EPS (Palaniswami), I would have been one among the crowd. Since I am here (with OPS) I am being identified...I would have been one among them after receiving Rs 2 crore. Now, there is a name for me and I have started to do politics," he said.

Sulur MLA Kangaraj acknowledged that the Sasikala camp had promised bribe for votes. "Yes, they promised us money and gold...some of them have received it and some of them haven't and the process is going on," he said in the sting video recorded after the trust vote.

The situation unfolded at the Golden Bay Beach Resort in Koovathur after OPS drew battle lines against Sasikala resulted in a split in the AIADMK. Explaining the extended stay at the resort, Kanagaraj said,"...we were in Koovathur to save the government. We thought it was for a day and it got extended due to governor's non-availability. If he had arrived that day (February 9), we would have wrapped it up in a day or two."

After her election as legislative party leader on February 5, OPS who stepped down as chief minister revolted against Sasikala on the night of February 8. An emergency meeting convened the next day ended with the Sasikala camp herding more than 120 MLAs into buses and eventually taking them to the Koovathur resort.

The state administration entered a limbo as the MLAs remained incommunicado with high drama unfolding on a daily basis leading up to the trust vote on February 18, when Palaniswami proved his majority.

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In Video: Spycam sting exposes Sasikala-OPS camps