T K Rajendran willing to resign as DGP after a raid by CBI regarding the gutka scam

CHENNAI: On Wednesday the Tamil Nadu state police chief T K Rajendran expressed his will to resign as the DGP after the CBI conducted a raid at his residence in connection with the gutka scam, but chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami wants him to continue, sources said.

The government is hesitating to accept the DGP’s resignation as it would mount the pressure on health minister C Vijayabaskar to quit too. AIADMK leaders are worried that Vijayabaskar, once a lieutenant of T T V Dhinakaran, might be more difficult to manage once he is out of the cabinet.

The I-T searches on Baskar’s premises, which has led to the countermanding of the by election, and had embarrassed the government after I-T officials got a dossier detailing money distribution to the voters. Also on the list were names of the ministers through whom the money was being distributed.
“Vijayabaskar survived all that, now antagonising him will invite trouble for many ministers,” said a source.

The government is in no mood to sacrifice Rajendran either. “When the CBI has not chargesheeted him, why should he go?” said a senior official. DMK president M K Stalin on Thursday demanded that the CBI should be arresting both of them.