I am neither running away nor hiding: DMK leader E.V. Velu

Tiruvannamalai DMK MLA and former Minister E.V. Velu, on Sunday (July 12, 2026), said he had travelled to Singapore for medical treatment and was neither running away nor hiding. He said he was prepared to appear before the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on any day after July 12.

“We were not groomed in such a manner either by our leader Kalaignar (M. Karunanidhi) or former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin,” he said upon his return from Singapore, where he had undergone treatment.

Displaying his medical records, Mr. Velu said he had been receiving treatment for heart ailments at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore since 2016. He said Dr. Jayaram Lingamanaicker, a Tamil doctor who heads the department, had been overseeing his treatment. He had also visited the hospital in 2023.

Mr. Velu said that after the strenuous Assembly election campaign, he had planned to undergo a medical check-up in Singapore. He applied for a visa on June 15, obtained it on June 17 and booked his flight for June 25. However, before his departure, the police visited his residence with a search warrant. “I cooperated fully with the police. I informed them about my travel plans and postponed my departure to June 26,” he said.

During his stay in Singapore, he underwent medical examinations for allergies, neurological and cardiac conditions. “I have the medical summary and all the relevant records,” he said, recalling the specialists who treated him.

Mr. Velu said a summon had been affixed to his residence directing him to appear before the DVAC on July 3. “I informed the DVAC that I would require 10 days before I could appear. Subsequently, I was asked to appear on July 9. I again replied, stating that I was ready to cooperate with the inquiry after July 12. There is no question of my running away or hiding,” he said.

Mr. Velu said there was no need to target him as he was the whip of the DMK in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.