Tiruvannamalai: Former DMK minister E V Velu appeared before the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) sleuths for inquiries in connection with an illegal soil excavation scam at the directorate’s office in Tiruvannamalai on Saturday.Anti-corruption advocacy group Arappor Iyakkam lodged a complaint with DVAC, accusing the former minister of abusing his position and mining 45.72 lakh cubic feet of soil valued at ₹8.22 crore from the 124-acre Malapampadi Lake near Tiruvannamalai. The soil was used to level the site for the DMK’s youth wing conference attended by party president and former chief minister M K Stalin and former deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin in Dec last year. DVAC police interrogated him at the DSP office for over one hour as part of the ongoing probe.Speaking to reporters after the interrogations, Velu asserted his innocence and claimed that the charges are politically motivated and deliberately targeted against him. He said he fully cooperated with DVAC officials and answered all questions posed to him. On the controversy surrounding the Dec 2025 DMK youth wing conference, Velu explained that the event took place on private property that was merely levelled for the gathering. He noted that both party and govt events had previously been held at the same site.Decrying the state of law and order under the current administration, Velu slammed TVK members for prioritising social media reels over public service. He questioned the party’s roots, asking whether it came to power through sacrifice or linguistic struggles, and accused the party members of using digital platforms to manufacture false narratives of corruption based on the propaganda tactic of repeating a lie until it appears to be true.
