Tamil Nadu: Questions raised over Sasikala's conflict of interest and links to mining baron

The battle to become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu might not be the only thing Sasikala needs to worry about, with many scrutinising her financial dealings and possible conflicts of interest. 

According to an NDTV report, some of her family's dealings also link her to a controversial mining baron. Sasikala's nephews, VS Sivakumar and Karthikeyan Kaliaperumal, had reportedly partnered with S Vaikundarajan, to form a company A World Rock Pvt Ltd in 2002. 

S Vaikundarajan's company VV Minerals, which has 75% stake in Tamil Nadu's estimated Rs 76,500 crore beach sand mining business, has had several run-ins with the law. Tuticorin district collector Ashish Kumar in August 2013 said that the company was engaged in large-scale illegal mining. Even as the allegations brought about a ban on beach sand mining in the five Tamil Nadu districts, VV Minerals is said to have transported a large quantity of heavy minerals across the state illegally. 

A World Rock Pvt Ltd had reported zero revenue in the last 15 years and seemed to be part of a web of 12 other companies with the nephews as directors and sharing the same office address in Chennai, which was not functional.  

Sasikala reportedly also has partial or complete ownership of companies that pose a conflict of interest, including Midas Golden Distilleries, a supplier to the state run liquor distributor, and to a multiplex.