Could Have Bought Rolls-Royce If I Had Removed More Kidneys: DMK MLA's Remark Triggers Backlash
DMK MLA Kathiravan's comments on kidney surgeries at his Trichy hospital sparked outrage. BJP's Annamalai and AIADMK's Palanisamy condemned it, alleging a kidney-stealing racket.
A statement by DMK MLA Kathiravan has sparked an outrage, with political leaders in Tamil Nadu suggesting a kidney-stealing racket is functional at his Trichy hospital.
BJP leader Annamalai and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palanisamy strongly condemned remarks of DMK MLA from Manachanallur regarding kidney operation of people at his family-run hospital.
Criticising the Manachanallur MLA, Annamalai shared a video on X showing Kathiravan discussing the profits made by kidney operations in his hospital and comparing it with the price of a Rolls-Royce car.
In the video, Kathiravan said, 'After covering the medical expenses and doctor fees, I will have only 2 to 3 lakhs left (after each kidney operation). Do you know the price of my father's Rolls-Royce car? It is Rs 14.5 crore. The total kidney operations carried out by us is only 252, with the profit of Rs 2 lakh per kidney operation, when can I buy a Rolls-Royce car? I could have bought it only if I had removed all the kidneys from people in Thirupattur. My only concern is that no one realised I saved the lives of 252 people.
The BJP leader accused the MLA's hospital of stealing kidney of poor weavers from Namakkal. He said that the DMK-led state government did not take any concrete action against the middleman.
'This is not a joke. Poor weavers from Namakkal were lured, their kidneys stolen, and the MLA himself admits in this video that his hospital made at least Rs 7.5 crore from this trade. Yet, the DMK Govt has taken no concrete action. Has their functionary Dravida Anandan, the middleman in this kidney theft racket, even been arrested?(sic)," he added.
While former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy suggested people to avoid visiting clinics run by DMK members, saying they 'may lose your kidney".
'Don't even visit clinics run by DMK men even by mistake. You may lose your kidney. A group is prevailing which shows money to poor and is stealing organs. DMK government itself constituted a committee which investigated and discovered kidney stealing in a hospital belonging to DMK MLA. Was there action taken? NO," he said. He added that only the license for organ transplant in the hospital was cancelled, with no arrests made.
'The MLA says that for buying a Rolls Royce car, he might have to remove people's kidneys. His car is worth Rs 12 crore. He has admitted how many kidneys he needs to steal to buy the car, which is evident from the speech," Edappadi claimed.
view comments
First Published:
August 14, 2025, 13:46 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
27 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Next week, PM to launch 3 Metro stations; Noapara to get direct airport link
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate three new Metro stations in Kolkata on August 22, which will boost urban connectivity in the city. 'PM Modi will inaugurate the Sealdah-Esplanade section of the Green Line, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (Ruby Crossing)-Beleghata section of the Orange Line, and Noapara-Jai Hind (airport) section of the Yellow Line,' Union minister Sukanta Majumdar Thursday posted on X. The inauguration function will be held at the Jessore Road metro station of the Yellow Line in the northern suburbs of the city The Esplanade-Sealdah Metro section will finally complete the East-West Metro line, linking it to the existing Howrah Maidan-Esplanade and Sector V-Sealdah stretches. The new 4.39-kilometre extended stretch of the Orange Line from Hemanta Mukhopadhyay to Beleghata will serve four new stations, improving access for residents in areas like VIP Bazar, Ritwik Ghatak (Topsia), Barun Sengupta (Science City), and Beleghata. The Noapara-Jai Hind (Biman Bandar) section will introduce four new stations — Noapara, Dum Dum Cantonment, Jessore Road, and Jai Hind Bimanbandar—with a mix of elevated and underground tracks, providing a direct metro link to the airport. At present, works of Rs 83,765 crore are in progress in the state, and a record allocation of Rs 13,955 crore was made this fiscal year. A total of 101 stations are being redeveloped, and the state's rail network is already benefiting from nine Vande Bharat and two Amrit Bharat trains, Railways Minister said. — With PTI
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Guv: Spike in discrimination, drugs, crime; DMK hits back
Chennai: A fresh bout of verbal sparring broke out between Raj Bhavan and DMK govt in TN, as Governor R N Ravi alleged state was grappling with "very serious challenges" including a spike in sexual offences and rising drug abuse, which drew a sharp rebuttal from the ruling party. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now On the eve of Independence Day, Ravi said about 60% of TN youth study in govt-run schools and are mostly from poor and marginalized sections. "The standards of teaching and learning are sharply declining in these schools," he said. Citing the ASER (annual status of education report), he said more than 50% of high school students cannot do simple maths or read primary standards textbooks. "Public education in TN is in steady decline," he said. Students are merely passing with certificates, and without job opportunities, he said. Alleging that social and educational discrimination was on the rise, Ravi said dalits are physically assaulted and at times even killed for their attempt to share the common public space. "It is a matter of collective shame that even after 78 years of Independence, rampant humiliating social discrimination practices are prevalent in our state," he said. Ravi said according to national crime records bureau, about 20,000 suicides are reported from TN every year, more than double the national average. The suicides reflect the prevailing acute social, psychological, or economic distress in the society, he said. Ravi alleged that drug abuse, especially among youth, was sharply increasing, particularly synthetic drugs. He also alleged that there was a sharp increase in the incidents of sexual offences, especially Pocso cases. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "According to official data, there has been more than 56% increase in Pocso rape cases in 2024,'' he said. Rejecting Ravi's charges, municipal administration minister K N Nehru said data released by Union govt shows TN was ahead in social and economic parameters. He said TN govt has responded to these charges with data in the past. "The governor is lying, frustrated over the boycott of his Independence day tea party by DMK allies," he said. Nehru also dismissed the statement that Centre has been supporting the development of TN by providing 'substantial funding', which included 3lakh crore as grants-in-aid. "The last Union budget had no mention of TN," he said. School education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said if Ravi was concerned about education of children in TN, he should urge Union govt to release pending funds for school education department.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
New portal to help secure BPL ration cards within 24 hours
Bengaluru: The govt will soon launch a web portal which will enable those eligible to secure below poverty line (BPL) ration cards within 24 hours, food and civil supplies minister KH Muniyappa told the legislative assembly Thursday. The initiative is aimed at streamlining the application process and making it more transparent, while also ensuring the economically poor secure benefits under the public distribution system (PDS). "We will launch the dedicated portal next month and eligible applicants can get BPL cards in 24 hours. I request people to make use of it," Muniyappa said in response to a question from BJP's Bharath Shetty Y. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru | Gold Rates Today in Bengaluru | Silver Rates Today in Bengaluru Admitting that about 13 lakh of the state's 25 lakh BPL cardholders are ineligible, Muniyappa urged such households to voluntarily convert their cards to above poverty line (APL) status. "We are committed to eliminating ineligible cards," Muniyappa said. "Our earlier efforts led to some confusion and I request the cooperation of all, including the opposition. I also appeal to those who are ineligible to voluntarily convert their cards from BPL to APL." A BPL family in Karnataka is defined as one with an annual income below Rs 1.25 lakh. Benefits under the BPL category include 10kg of rice per family member under the Anna Bhagya scheme, though the govt is currently dispensing cash in lieu of 5kg rice. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is this legal? Access all TV channels without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo A survey by the food and civil supplies department revealed that lakhs of ineligible people, including thousands of govt employees, had obtained BPL cards. The minister said this distorted distribution of benefits meant for the poor and put unnecessary pressure on the PDS network. In Nov 2023, Muniyappa had launched a drive to weed out fake and ineligible BPL cards, but it sparked controversy after several genuine beneficiaries complained that their cards were wrongly deleted. The backlash forced the govt to halt the exercise. Muniyappa acknowledged the issue, stating that political consensus was needed to resume the clean-up. "Eligible cardholders can reapply even if their cards are removed by mistake," he said. Highlighting the scale of the problem, the minister also said that Karnataka's BPL coverage stands at 75% of the population — a figure he described as "astronomically abnormal" compared with neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where BPL coverage is around 50%. He was confident the new portal, coupled with a transparent verification process, would help ensure benefits reach only those who genuinely qualify. He reiterated that cooperation from all political parties and the public was essential to make the system fairer and more efficient. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Independence Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
