Even as the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) 232-page dossier alleging a large-scale “cash-for-jobs” scam in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department continues to stir political controversy, Tamil Nadu Minister KN Nehru on Tuesday, 4 November 2025, visited the historic Sattainathar Swami Temple in Sirkazhi for darshan.
Nehru, accompanied by Minister for Backward Classes Welfare Siva Meyyanathan, offered prayers at the shrines of Brahmapureeswarar Swami, Thayyal Nayaki Ambal, Sattanathar Swami, and Thoniyappar. Temple authorities welcomed the ministers with garlands, prasad, and portraits of the deities.
During the visit, devotees raised civic grievances, particularly the lack of toilet facilities for pilgrims visiting the Sirkazhi Muthanathar temple from other districts and states. They also complained about garbage accumulation and sanitation issues in several parts of the town.
Responding on the spot, Minister Nehru reportedly instructed municipal administrative officers to set up public toilets and ensure that garbage removal was carried out on a daily basis.
The visit drew attention as it came just days after the ED submitted its detailed dossier to the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), urging a police investigation into alleged recruitment irregularities within Nehru’s department.
According to the ED, the alleged scam involved bribes of ₹25–35 lakh collected from job aspirants seeking government posts, purportedly facilitated by Nehru’s brothers and close associates.
Meanwhile, Nehru has dismissed the allegations as “politically motivated,” claiming the agency was attempting to malign the Dravidian Model government.
The temple visit also saw the presence of local MLAs Nivedayam Murugan and M. Panneerselvam, former MLA Kuthala Manpazhagan, regional administrators, and civic officials. The ministers were later honored by representatives of the All India Forward Bloc Party.
For a party that prides itself on the rationalist ideals of EVR, Minister KN Nehru’s temple visit — right in the midst of a corruption scandal — exposes the growing contradictions within the DMK’s so-called “Dravidian Model.” As the ED tightens its probe into the alleged ₹35-lakh-per-job racket, Nehru’s sudden turn to temple rituals suggests that even within the ranks of Tamil Nadu’s ruling party, ideology conveniently takes a backseat when political survival is at stake.
Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.