Chennai, May 22 (UNI) Hailing the Supreme Court coming down heavily on the ED and staying its

PMLA probe into the alleged Rs 1,000 crore TASMAC scam, the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu termed

it as a hammer blow dealt to the BJP government at the Centre and the Central Investigating Agency.

Launching a tirade at the Centre, the DMK accused the ED of functioning as a blackmailing agency

and the Apex Court's order staying the probe was a hammer blow to the BJP’s attempt to brand the DMK government led by Chief Minister MK Stalin as corrupt and reduce its growing popularity ahead of the Assembly elections due in less than an year.

Talking to reporters DMK Organising Secretary RS Bharathi said the Union government at the Centre

led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ever since it came to power 11 years back, has been using the

Central investigating agencies, including the ED, against the non-BJP ruled states and their leaders

to destablise them.

Citing the serious indictments by the Apex Court against the ED for "crossing all limits" and encroaching upon the federal structure of the country and state autonomy by targetting a State Corporation, Mr Bharati also claimed that the Centre could not stomach the growing popularity

of the Stalin-led DMK's Dravidian Model governance and the consecutive victories in all the

elections starting from the 2019 polls by the DMK-led Front.

Hence it was using the ED to malign them, he asserted.

Addressing a separate media interaction, DMK Lawyers’ Wing secretary and Rajya Sabha MP

NR Elango said the DMK would initiate legal action proceedings against the errant ED officials

for misusing the provisions of PMLA.

This apex court order is for the entire country,” he said.

UNI GV