CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday (September 3) threw down the gauntlet to the Opposition DMK in the Assembly, asking its members to remain in the House on Monday (September 7) for his detailed reply to their allegations, rather than stage a walkout.
Intervening during a debate, the Chief Minister requested Speaker J C D Prabhakar to elicit a firm promise from the DMK members that they would remain in their seats throughout his address.
Assuring a comprehensive response, Vijay said he would provide a clear and point-by-point explanation to every question raised by the Opposition during the ongoing session.
The exchange came amid a heated debate on state administration's handling of law and order, where the Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin sought to corner the ruling TVK government.
Leading the charge, Udhayanidhi Stalin questioned the TVK's frequent critiques of the previous DMK administration's handling of drug proliferation.
Pointing to current administrative decisions, the DMK leader argued that if the previous regime's drug control efforts had truly been ineffective, the present government would not have promoted two senior police officers who headed those very departments during the DMK’s tenure. He specifically named the two IPS officials.
He alleged that there was a rise in POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) cases in the state, and also an increase in crimes, and highlighted that his government established special committees and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to support victims and ensured swift justice.
Regarding drug enforcement, he questioned why certain police officers who served during the previous DMK rule were promoted to high-ranking positions by the current TVK government if their previous efforts were allegedly insufficient.
Immediately, the Chief Minister got up from his seat and remarked "Honourable Speaker, for all the questions raised by the honourable members, I will provide a clear explanation when I come on Monday. Even if I am not here, I will receive information about who is asking what questions. I will provide a clear answer to everything. I have one request through you - no one should get up and run away."