Speaking at an event in Coimbatore, DMK president M.K. Stalin defended his repeated criticism of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government, asking how anyone could refrain from criticising it. He said he was not alone in doing so, noting that leaders across parties and the public were also voicing their objections.
Stalin alleged that power cuts began within a month of the government taking office and that it had failed to fix them. He claimed that a low-cost power purchase agreement signed during the DMK regime was cancelled, and that power cuts were being engineered to justify buying electricity at higher prices on the open market. He also said people were struggling to cremate their dead amid the outages.
He accused the government of failing on law and order, alleging that drug circulation was being concealed despite promises to eradicate it and that TVK members were being implicated in crimes against women. Stalin also pointed to the escape of 17 prisoners, which he described as the first such incident in 30 years, and said the government was “opening prisons” after promising to open files. He claimed Tamil Nadu, once a leader in economic growth, had slipped to the bottom.
Stalin said Chief Minister Vijay had stated at his swearing-in that there would be no power centres, but alleged that corporate centres were now controlling him. He argued that the Chief Minister’s job is not a 10-to-5 office role and that answering questions is a duty. He also said the Chief Minister blames the DMK for every question raised, and alleged that Vijay came to power by spreading slander.
Stalin expressed confidence that the people of Tamil Nadu would not be deceived a second time. He also said a by-election was coming in Tiruchi and claimed that a raid on Minister K.N. Nehru’s residence was linked to it.
