Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan strongly denies making statements in audio clip, says it was fabricated to disrupt DMK’s good work

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Wednesday said that the audio clip released by T.N. BJP president K. Annamalai, purportedly containing the former’s voice, was fabricated by a “blackmail gang” to achieve their political ambitions and to disrupt the good governance being delivered by the ruling DMK.

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Wednesday said that the audio clip released by T.N. BJP president K. Annamalai, purportedly containing the former’s voice, was fabricated by a “blackmail gang” to achieve their political ambitions and to disrupt the good governance being delivered by the ruling DMK.

Mr. Rajan, who posted his statement as a video on Twitter, began his message by showing a few deepfake videos. “If such authentic-looking videos can be machine generated, imagine all that can be done with audio files,” he said.

The Minister alleged that the BJP’s State president had descended to posting “an audio of somebody telling nobody about some others...This is the base level of his politics,” he added. He said that he strongly and specifically denied “having said to any individual, personally or on the phone, at any point of time, what is contained in the audio clip being circulated on social media since yesterday, the source of which nobody accepts ownership for.”

The person in the audio clip released by Mr. Annamalai on Tuesday seemed to be criticising the functioning of the DMK, with an indication that it was controlled by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s son and Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin and his son-in-law, V. Sabareesan.

The Minister said certain forces, who are unable to digest the achievements [of the DMK], are indulging in using advanced technologies and cheap tactics, such as releasing this “fabricated audio clip.”

Mr. Rajan said that the present government, under the leadership of Mr. Stalin, had delivered “record-breaking, innovative and compassionate administration” under what is called the Dravidian model of governance. Arguing that the present government, through major financial reforms, has achieved what was not attempted in the past decade, the Minister said the results are superior to what the Union government has achieved in the last decade.

While Mr. Stalin is not only the “guiding light” of Tamil Nadu, but the hope of the country, Mr. Udhayanidhi is the hope for the next generation and has received great reception from the Tamil people, the Minister said.