CHENNAI: BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran on Monday accused Chief Minister and TVK president C Joseph Vijay of using the Assembly for political rhetoric instead of addressing what he described as the State’s deteriorating law-and-order situation.
Reacting to Joseph Vijay’s remarks during the debate on the police department’s demands for grants, Nainar Nagenthran said, “The Assembly is not your cinema studio, Joseph Vijay. The people of Tamil Nadu are not exclamation marks in your party to applaud your string of dialogues.”
Nainar claimed that 10 murders had been reported in Coimbatore over the past month and two murders in Chennai on Sunday. He also alleged that six custodial deaths had occurred since the TVK government assumed office and that some police personnel deployed for security duties were behaving improperly with members of the public.
The former minister said Joseph Vijay should have addressed these issues in the Assembly, taken responsibility for the law-and-order situation and proposed measures to ensure the safety of people and their property.
Nainar questions CMO shift
In a separate statement, Nainar Nagenthran alleged that Rs 6.17 crore in public funds was spent to shift the Chief Minister’s Office to the 10th floor of Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai and questioned the justification for the expenditure.
“On one hand, the government has announced a new Secretariat at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore. Why, then, spend so much on a temporary office?” he asked.
The BJP leader further claimed that farmers were struggling because of inadequate paddy storage facilities and said the government should instead spend the money on public welfare.
“Change should be reflected in people’s lives, not in the walls of the Chief Minister’s Office,” Nainar added.