Former Chief Minister MK Stalin's remarks on the survival of TVK government not borne out of any intent to topple the government, the party clarified on Tuesday.
Stalin on Sunday claimed that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay may not even survive beyond three months.
"I need not say much about the kind of government currently in power. When it assumed office, I had said I would not criticise it for six months. However, there is now a fear that circumstances may force me to speak sooner," Stalin said.
DMK senior leader and former minister Thangam Thennarasu said there was no "intent to dissolve or topple the government," behind Stalin's remarks.
"When reporters asked leaders of various political parties about this, they said that the DMK leader should not have spoken that way. In reality, our leader never said the government would collapse, nor is that his stance", the DMK leader said in a party statement.
Stalin "essentially meant that the government is operating under a cloud of uncertainty regarding whether it will even survive for three months."
"But watching daily reports of murders, robberies, machete attacks, drug trafficking, power cuts, farmers' protests and sexual violence, how could they remain silent. It was in that context he (Stalin) said one wonders whether the government can even last three months," Thennarasu claimed.
He said that it has been a month since the new government took office in Tamil Nadu and during this period, TV and newspaper reports were dominated by murders, robberies, sexual assaults, and drug trafficking.
"Functionaries of the ruling party itself are implicated in various criminal incidents," he claimed.
(With inputs from PTI)