A few days ago, TVK Kinathukidavu MLA Vignesh delivered an emotional speech portraying himself as a man who rose from extreme poverty and a tea shop background to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, is now facing scrutiny after his own election affidavit revealed assets worth several crores of rupees.
Speaking to reporters a few days ago, Vignesh said, “When I was about to go inside that Legislative Assembly, I had no confidence in myself. Because I, Vignesh, am not the son of some wealthy family, nor do I come from a big political lineage where my grandfather was a minister or my father was an MLA or anything like that. Vignesh is the son of an ordinary tea shop owner; I am a boy whose mother worked in that shop. When a boy like that gets such an opportunity, it means history is trying to say something; this era, this soil is trying to say something. When I went there, the first thing I saw was the place where Arignar Anna sat, the place where Kalaignar Ayya sat, the place where Perunthalaivar Kamarajar sat, and likewise the place where Puratchi Thalaivar MGR sat. In the same places where such great leaders, such giants, sat, I too am sitting now. At that moment, even this morning, I went to the temple and prayed to God, thinking: ‘I have already won in my life.’ A person like me who was on the street, who lived in a hut, has now got the chance to go to the Fort and sit in the Legislative Assembly at the age of 38—if I have got such an opportunity, then I have already won in my life. From now on, my entire life must be only for these people, for those suffering people whom I have seen with my own eyes and felt pain for. That is my only goal.”
டீ கடைக்காரரின் மகன் நான்…!
இனி மக்களுக்காக என் வாழ்க்கை..! – கிணத்துக்கடவு MLA விக்னேஷ்.“I Am the Son of a Tea Stall Owner; I Understand People’s Problems and Am at Their Service.” – Kinathukadavu MLA Vignesh pic.twitter.com/9WixE6WGCv
— SimpliCityCoimbatore (@simplicitycbe) May 14, 2026
But his affidavit tells a different story. According to the affidavit, the MLA and his spouse together declared total assets exceeding ₹3 crore. The documents show movable assets worth more than ₹1.54 crore and immovable assets valued at approximately ₹1.65 crore officially declared in the affidavit records.
The affidavit also lists:
- Multiple bank accounts and investments,
- Shares and securities,
- Gold holdings,
- Insurance policies,
- Vehicles including an Innova Crysta,
- Residential and non-agricultural properties in Coimbatore district.
Income tax details disclosed in the affidavit show annual taxable income running into several lakhs over the past five financial years. The records indicate that Vignesh K declared income ranging from around ₹6 lakh to ₹7 lakh annually, while his spouse declared income crossing ₹10 lakh in certain years.
Similar to other TVK MLAs like Rajmohan, ‘Auto driver’ Vijay Dhamu, former driver’s son Sabarinathan, barefooted MLA Thendral Kumar, Vignesh also portrays himself as someone from a poor background.
All these TVK MLAs have been attempting to construct a misleading “poor common man” image despite possessing substantial wealth and assets.
Additionally, the declared figures only account for assets officially disclosed in the affidavit and do not include any possible assets held in the names of parents, siblings or extended family members.
It is noteworthy that majority of the TVK MLAs possess enough wealth and cannot claim to be poor.
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