SIVAGANGAI: Senior AIADMK leader R B Udhayakumar launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Sunday (July 26) over his administration's handling of the NEET and the Cauvery water dispute, while also questioning his silence on critical state issues.
Addressing a Kazhaga Amma Peravai gathering, Udhayakumar asserted that the AIADMK was the first party to raise a strong voice against NEET in Tamil Nadu.
He emphasised that former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami demonstrated true social justice by implementing a 7.5 per cent internal reservation for government school students in medical admissions.
"What is the Tamil Nadu government's stance when all of India is burning? Students are asking why the chief minister is not opening his mouth. He remains silent in answering the students protesting on the ground," Udhayakumar said.
He also accused state ministers of relying on public relations and social media "reels" instead of delivering genuine governance and solutions for students.
"There is no limit to making these reels. Having such ministers and a chief minister like this, I don't know what we are going to achieve," he said.
On the Cauvery water dispute, Udhayakumar pointed out that despite 53 meetings of the Cauvery Water Management Authority and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, Tamil Nadu has failed to secure its rightful share of water.
He questioned what outcome CM Vijay would achieve through talks with Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar, noting that nearly 90 per cent of reservoirs remain dry, putting thousands of agricultural acres at risk of drought.
Vijay has proposed bilateral talks with his Karnataka counterpart to seek an amicable solution to the long-standing Cauvery river water-sharing dispute.