CHENNAI: Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay lambasted the ruling DMK government on Thursday, alleging a complete breakdown of law and order in Tamil Nadu and citing a spate of brutal crimes in Chennai as grim evidence of administrative failure.
"Daily reports of crime clearly show that law and order in Tamil Nadu has deteriorated," the TVK founder said in a statement, adding that successive incidents of sexual violence in the state capital had left the entire state shaken.
Referring to recent cases, Vijay said the murder of a migrant worker from Bihar, his wife and child in the Adyar area, and the sexual assault of a young woman employed at a government college canteen in Nandanam had caused deep shock and anguish. He noted that the incidents were deserving of the strongest condemnation.
Vijay accused the DMK government of creating a situation where neither Tamil Nadu residents nor those who come to the state for livelihood felt safe. "This deceptive, drama-driven DMK regime has failed to provide even basic security to the people," Vijay said.
The actor-politician further alleged that the government's focus was limited to plunder, resulting in negligence in preventing crimes against women and children and in maintaining public order. "The government's passive approach in ensuring stringent punishment for offenders has emboldened anti-social elements," he said.
Pointing his criticisms at Chief Minister MK Stalin, Vijay said, "Instead of taking immediate action to ensure punishment for criminals, the Chief Minister repeatedly and shamelessly claims Tamil Nadu is a safe state for women."
Warning that the government was nearing the end of its tenure, the TVK chief said the Chief Minister must, in the remaining days at least, take concrete steps to restore law and order. "People of Tamil Nadu are ready to write the final chapter for this publicity-driven government that has failed to protect them," he added.