Udhayanidhi Stalin; Edappadi K. Palaniswami
| Photo Credit: C. Venkatachalapathy; S. Siva Saravanan
Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday (May 25, 2026) demanded that Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay explain the steps taken by his government to prevent crimes against women and children in the State.
“Is this Tamil Nadu or Uttar Pradesh? Where is your Singapen Athiradi Padai (Women Task Force)? Why is the Chief Minister, who spoke dialogues of valour before the elections, refusing to open his mouth now?” Mr. Udhayanidhi asked in a social media post.
He alleged Tamil Nadu had witnessed 25 murders, four cases of double murder, and 19 incidents of sexual assault in the past 15 days.
“In the rule of those who spoke about change, Tamil Nadu’s law and order situation has deteriorated. After the murder of a girl in Sulur, there has now been a sexual assault on another girl in Villupuram district. The body of the Sulur girl was cremated without informing her mother. A boy was murdered near a temple in Madurai and a petrol bomb was hurled at the house of a woman in Coimbatore,” he alleged.
Mr. Udhayanidhi also referred to an incident in Perambur, the constituency represented by the Chief Minister, where a gang of alleged drug peddlers allegedly vandalised cars. “We cannot accept eyewash statements issued after meetings of police officers when people are living in fear,” he said.
Uphold law and order: EPS
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, meanwhile, expressed shock over the criminal incidents reported from across the State. He urged Mr. Vijay to uphold law and order in Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Palaniswami referred to a case of sexual harassment of a girl in Madurai allegedly involving a ruling TVK functionary, the alleged harassment of a college student by a TVK functionary in Chennai, and the alleged harassment of an electricity engineer by TVK functionaries in Tiruvottiyur, among other incidents.
The AIADMK leader also referred to reports about the death of a couple who attempted to pass through a railway subway inundated by heavy rain in Omalur in Salem district. He pointed out that the failure to clear the inundated subway had led to the loss of two lives.
“The Chief Minister claimed that he would deliver better governance and bring about change. But we are losing precious lives every other day. There is only disappointment with this government,” Mr. Palaniswami contended. “Besides, ruling party functionaries are threatening people, especially government employees,” he further alleged. He also criticised the Chief Minister for not addressing the media through a press conference.
‘Vijay a mute spectator’
AMMK founder T.T.V. Dhinakaran criticised the government over the recurring sexual assaults on minors reported from various parts of the State, referring to recent incidents in Coimbatore and Villupuram districts.
Referring to Mr. Vijay’s statement when the sexual assault of a student at Anna University was reported during the previous DMK regime, Mr. Dhinakaran asked: “Why is Mr. Vijay remaining indifferent and acting as a mute spectator to offences against women after assuming office as Chief Minister?”
BJP State unit president Nainar Nagenthran also slammed the TVK regime. “Only the government has changed, but the woes continue,” he contended.
Mr. Nagenthran also strongly criticised Mr. Vijay for having “instigated” children to canvass their parents to vote for him and for having assured them that he was their “uncle”, but later remaining a mere “spectator” while children were being sexually assaulted.
The BJP leader questioned whether Mr. Vijay had the competence to govern Tamil Nadu if he remained a “puppet Chief Minister” and was indifferent to issues under his government.
‘How many more lives must be lost?’
In another post, Mr. Nagenthran referred to the murder of a boy in Madurai and called for strict punishment for the culprits. He criticised the TVK and asked how many more lives must be lost before Mr. Vijay learnt the basics of governance.
“Shouldn’t Mr. Vijay focus on the law and order situation after assuming office, especially since he strongly criticised the DMK government on the same issue before the election? Instead, if he went about making accused persons Ministers, how could he ensure the safety of the people?” Mr. Nagenthran asked.
Published – May 25, 2026 03:12 pm IST
