Stalin criticizes Vijay’s rule. over law and order, rising prices; says DMK will hold protest on October 31

DMK president MK Stalin on Friday (October 30, 2026) accused the TVK-led government headed by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay of “being incompetent and destroying law and order” in the state. He said criminals have absolutely no fear of the government.

To condemn the deterioration of law and order, lack of security for women and children and unprecedented hike in prices, the DMK women’s wing will hold protests at district headquarters across Tamil Nadu on Saturday (October 31), it announced.

In a video message on X, Mr. Stalin said that whenever he approaches people, he starts asking them how they are doing. “But with the current situation in Tamil Nadu, when I ask how are you, people will ask me if I am making fun of them.

Referring to Mr. Vijay’s speeches as TVK president at public meetings ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, in which he accused the DMK government of allowing law and order to deteriorate, failing to ensure the safety of women and children and enabling drug-related crimes, Mr. Stalin asked, “What is the situation now under a government whose leader spoke loudly and forcefully?

“Serious crimes have become routine”

Murders, sexual assaults and the killing of elderly people living alone in their homes to rob them of their jewelry have become routine. Underage girls continued to go missing. The killings were even taking place in some prominent districts of Chennai, including Mylapore, Adyar and Taramani, Mr. Stalin said.

Mr. Stalin claimed that those who committed the murders in broad daylight in the middle of the road left the spot without any panic, getting into motorbikes and autorickshaws.

“We don’t know if the Chief Minister is watching this footage. There is reason to doubt if these messages are even reaching him. His actions indicate that nothing like this is happening in Tamil Nadu. All political parties are issuing statements, condemning the incidents and organizing protests. But there has been no response from the Chief Minister,” he said.

“Isn’t the chief minister directly responsible for the police department? Shouldn’t he be answering these questions? Shouldn’t he be holding control meetings with police officials and issuing relevant instructions? But none of this is apparently happening,” the DMK president accused.

Only a few ministers responded on behalf of all ministries and even their responses were “irresponsible”, he said. Despite the government being in power for almost six months, whenever there were problems, the government seemed to turn to the DMK and blame it for everything, he alleged.

“What is particularly worrying is that almost half of the criminal incidents involve members of the TVK. The Chief Minister does not have to go anywhere to restore law and order. If he simply keeps his own party members under control, crime could go down significantly. Women need not be protected by the TVK. Rather, women need to be protected from the TVK,” he said.

Referring to the arrest of TVK official Boopalan by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in Nagapattinam on charges of dealing in methamphetamine, Mr. Stalin said when reporters reported the news that the TVK union secretary had threatened them. “Is this pure power?” Mr. Stalin asked.

“Was the money Boopalan earned from drug smuggling used to fund the party’s election expenses in Nagapattinam district and other districts?” he asked.

Stalin criticizes TVK for rising prices

Referring to food inflation in the state, Mr. Stalin accused the government of polishing rice meant for free distribution under the Public Distribution System (PDS) and selling it as Class A fine rice. He also said that the government had announced that onions would be sold at subsidized prices in fair price shops, but people visiting the shops found them sold out.

“There was a time when the poor could only dream of buying gold. Now they are struggling to afford even rice. During the DMK regime, we ensured that Tamil Nadu has one of the lowest inflation rates in the country. But the current government lacks administrative competence across ministries,” said the former chief minister.

“When we raise issues affecting the public, a responsible government should try to address them. But (TVK) activates a toolkit through a group of online abusers who belong to its IT wing. They believe it is enough to get their supporters to post abusive comments under these posts and target those who raise questions,” he said.

“He (Mr Vijay) has made grandiose statements about being an elder brother and an uncle. Let him first fulfill his duties as Chief Minister. If he is fulfilling his duties properly, how can he put Tamil Nadu backwards across every department? Can he point to a single department where the TVK government has done better than the previous DMK government? There is decay and deterioration in every department,” Stalin said.

Published – 30 Oct 2026 12:18 IST