CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday alleged that the TVK government had left the state unsafe, accusing it of failing to maintain law and order amid a spate of robberies and thefts.

In a statement, he questioned Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's silence over the deteriorating law and order situation and said murders, robberies and chain-snatching incidents had become frequent, leaving people fearful for their lives and property.

He alleged that the government had failed to ensure public safety. He also questioned the outcome of the Chief Minister's repeated meetings with senior police officials, asking whether they had yielded any tangible results in improving the law and order situation.

Palaniswami cited the recent robbery of jewellery worth Rs 50 crore from a showroom in Madurai, the theft of Rs 1.5 crore in Tasmac cash collections in Kanchipuram and an incident in Tirunelveli in which a TVK functionary was accused of stealing 13 sovereigns of jewellery from a 70-year-old woman.

Recalling Vijay's assurances on public safety during the Assembly election campaign, Palaniswami alleged that they had remained mere political promises.

He urged the Chief Minister to take stringent action against those involved in the crimes and strengthen security measures to restore public confidence.