Protect women and children instead of purchasing rival party workers, Udhayanidhi tells Vijay

CHENNAI: Leader of the Opposition and DMK youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday flayed the ruling TVK government over the death of a three-year-old girl child near Gummidipoondi after an alleged sexual assault, and asked Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to focus on protecting women and children instead of purchasing rival party workers.

Expressing shock over the incident, Udhayanidhi said the police must identify the real culprits and ensure stringent punishment at the earliest.

In a statement, he alleged that crimes which people once read about happening somewhere far away in the North India had become a daily occurrence in Tamil Nadu under the present administration, which he described as the ‘Sofa Model government’.

Targeting the Chief Minister, he said Vijay had failed to establish control over law and order even after being in office for more than a month. “At a time when the government is engaged in purchasing leaders from other parties, the Chief Minister should show at least some concern towards protecting law and order,” he said.

Udhayanidhi also referred to a series of recent incidents, including allegations of sexual harassment involving a TVK functionary in Salem, an alleged case of misconduct against a widowed woman in Alandur and a complaint lodged by a woman police constable in Sivaganga.

“Law and order across Tamil Nadu is deteriorating rapidly,” he said, urging the Chief Minister to immediately convene a high-level meeting of senior police officers and issue strict instructions to district and zonal officials to prevent crimes against women and children.

He warned that the DMK would launch statewide protests if such incidents continued.