Udhayanidhi slams CM Vijay over rotten onion row

CHENNAI: Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Wednesday criticised Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over the alleged procurement of rotten onions from the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), which were reportedly left unloaded due to their deteriorated condition.

Udhayanidhi described it as a government that was doing nothing despite being in power. "The government is like an onion. When you peel it layer by layer, there is nothing inside," he said. He alleged that the government had purchased 450 tonnes of onions from NAFED without conducting any proper inspection. The onions, procured from Maharashtra, were allegedly found to be rotten and left without being unloaded at Korukkupet railway station.

Udhayanidhi further alleged that the onions had been covered up without being unloaded, while the Chief Minister is busy in constituencies where by-elections were due instead of addressing the issue.

Questioning the government over the procurement, he asked who had ordered the purchase of the onions and who was responsible for covering up the rotten stock.

He also questioned whether the Chief Minister had answers to these issues and demanded accountability from the government over the alleged irregularities.