Palaniswami says drug abuse and crimes against women in TN have not gone down under the TVK government.

AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday said there was no decline in drug abuse during the tenure of the TVK government.

Mr. Palaniswami, who was participating in the debate on the demand for grands for the Home Ministry in the Assembly, said that there did not seem to be any significant reduction in sexual crimes against women and girls. Cases of murder, robbery and chain snatching also did not decrease, while crimes against the elderly continued to be reported, he said.

Referring to increasing cases of illegal bike racing in cities like Chennai, Mr. Palaniswami said two-wheelers were driven at recklessly high speeds on major roads, posing danger to other road users and causing inconvenience to motorists.

He urged the government to take strict action against those who participate in the cycle race and ride two-wheelers dangerously. “When they drive at high speed, innocent motorists become involved in accidents. This practice must be stopped completely. The parents of such riders should be called and given a stern warning,” he said.

Mr. Palaniswami also alleged that fines were being issued to two-wheeler riders for various reasons even though they possessed the required vehicle documents. He said motorists complained that fines were being issued because senior police officials had allegedly set targets for registering a specific number of cases every month.

“This practice must be stopped. Those who commit violations should be punished but others should not be fined and subjected to mental hardship just to meet the targets of registering cases,” he said.

He further alleged that there were complaints that fines collected by the traffic police from motorists for offenses were not remitted to the exchequer and were instead kept at the police station level. He also referred to reports that the Chennai City Police Commissioner had banned 10 police stations from collecting fines.

Mr. Palaniswami questioned whether such alleged irregularities were confined to the jurisdiction of the Chennai City Police or were widespread in Tamil Nadu and called for an inquiry by the government.

He asked the Director General of Police to order a detailed inquiry after consulting all city police commissioners and district police inspectors.

He also urged the police to ensure that charges are filed within the stipulated 90-day period.

Published – 03 Sep 2026 20:43 IST