Palaniswami accuses Vijay of speaking untruth about the arrest of ‘Gem’ Veeramani

AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami | Photo credit: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN

Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday accused Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay of speaking contrary to the truth on the issue of the arrest of industrialist R. Veeramani under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO).

Mr. Palaniswami, who was in the Madurantakam (SC) assembly constituency in support of his party’s candidate Kanitha Sampatha, wondered why the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government had delayed the industrialist’s arrest, a move that was taken on the special court’s insistence. In fact, the arrest was ordered after the government’s defense counsel sought adjournments on several occasions and a “further action waived” report was filed.

The AIADMK leader claimed that at the function, two ministers from TVK shared the dais with Veeramani and one of them called the industrialist a “family friend”. Claiming that the current regime was “shielding” the accused, he said it was the first time the government had resorted to telling “absolute lies” and garnering sympathy by blaming some other party.

Mr. Palaniswami said Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary P. Shanmugam’s stance on the issue was also similar. He criticized the chief minister for “acting in real life as well” and not just in live-action films.

The AIADMK leader, who campaigned in Ramapuram, L. Endathur and Elappakkam in the constituency where the bypoll is proposed, reported incidents of crime, including murder and violence against women, since the TVK-led regime came to power.

Published – 27 Sep 2026 0:33 IST