DMK president and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin on Friday announced a state-wide protest by the party's Women's Wing on October 31 against what he described as the deteriorating law and order situation and rising prices under the TVK government.
In a self-recorded video and a post on X, Stalin accused the C Joseph Vijay-led administration of being “clueless” and lacking independent thinking. He said protests at district headquarters across the state would serve as a “wake-up call” to the government.
Taking a swipe at Vijay, Stalin said people had voted for him hoping his cinematic heroism would translate into real life, but had been left disappointed. He accused the chief minister of remaining inaccessible to the public, saying he appeared to be functioning as though he were still confined to a shooting caravan, and treating the office as a 9-to-5 job.
Stalin alleged a breakdown in law and order, citing daylight murders in prominent parts of Chennai, sexual violence against children and the escape of 17 prisoners from the Theni district jail in a single night.
He further claimed that 50 per cent of recent crimes involved TVK functionaries. As an example, he cited the arrest of a TVK office-bearer by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) over alleged links to an international synthetic drug syndicate. Stalin questioned whether money generated through drug trafficking had been used to finance the ruling party's election campaign.
Turning to the economy and power sector, the DMK leader criticised the government over rising prices of essential commodities, including rice and onions. He also accused it of poor long-term planning, alleging that electricity was being procured at an exorbitant rate of Rs 37 per unit.
Responding to Minister Viswanathan's allegations that the previous DMK government was responsible for the current power shortage and had caused a Rs 6,000 crore loss in the Rs 13,000 crore Thoothukudi project, Stalin dismissed the claims.
He compared the ruling party to “a cat closing its eyes and thinking the whole world has gone dark”, arguing that the government's shifting explanations exposed its own mismanagement and amounted to an admission of guilt.
Earlier, speaking to reporters after paying tribute at the memorial of freedom fighter Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar in Madurai, Stalin recalled the DMK government's contributions to honouring Thevar and said the party continued to draw inspiration from his fearless fighting spirit.
He reiterated his criticism of the TVK government over rising prices, law and order and public safety, claiming that voters were deeply frustrated with its functioning.
Asked about the possibility of the DMK supporting Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman, who announced on October 29 that he would contest the Ambasamudaram by-election, Stalin said the party would take a decision after the election dates were announced.
Later, at Chennai airport, Stalin described the arrest of a former DMK minister as an act of political vendetta. He said the party was not intimidated by the police action and would contest the charges in court.
Stalin said the DMK had faced stringent laws such as MISA, TADA and POTA in the past and dismissed questions about its political resilience.
“Wait and watch as time goes on; you will see how it holds up,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
