Stalin dubs TVK government a ‘circus’ controlled by corporate interests

DMK president M.K. Stalin speaks at a function organised by the Dravidar Kazhagam in Coimbatore on Wednesday to thank him for his role in the establishment of Periyar Arivulagam.

DMK president M.K. Stalin on Wednesday accused corporate power centres of exercising control over the TVK-led government and claimed Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay was being used by them to run the administration.

Addressing a felicitation ceremony organised by the Dravidar Kazhagam at VOC Grounds in Coimbatore to appreciate his role in establishing Periyar Arivulagam, Mr. Stalin alleged the Chief Minister was unable to take independent decisions and that corporate interests were influencing the functioning of the government.

Referring to Mr. Vijay's earlier statement that he alone would be the power centre in the government, Mr. Stalin said the TVK government had turned into a “circus”, with corporate power centres pulling the strings and using the Chief Minister to run the government at their behest.

Mr. Stalin also alleged that astrologers were dictating decisions in the TVK government, from fixing dates for official events to deciding the Chief Minister’s attire.

He criticised the government over the reported power cuts, alleging the administration had failed to address the problem even after several months in office. He claimed the government was purchasing electricity from the open market at nearly twice the price after cancelling power procurement arrangements made during the previous DMK regime.

On law and order, Mr. Stalin alleged that Coimbatore was witnessing a spate of murders and claimed that 10 murders had taken place in the city in a month.

Mr. Stalin also referred to the arrest of N. Boopalan, a TVK functionary from Nagapattinam district, in connection with the seizure of 135 kg of methamphetamine. He questioned why the State police had not arrested the accused and demanded to know whether the Chief Minister would take responsibility for the alleged involvement of a ruling party functionary in drug trafficking. He questioned whether the party leadership had taken steps to identify others involved in the alleged network.

Mr. Stalin further that TVK functionaries, including district and union-level office-bearers and elected representatives, had been facing allegations of extortion and intimidation. He referred to audio and video clips circulating on social media in which party functionaries were allegedly heard demanding money. Besides, women had “received obscene messages” from some party members.

Questioning the Chief Minister's approach to administration, Mr. Stalin said the post was not a 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. job and running a government was not like acting in a film. The Chief Minister had a responsibility to respond to questions from the public and the media.

Mr. Stalin said the DVAC searches at the premises of former Minister K.N. Nehru were politically motivated and aimed at diverting public attention from the TVK government's shortcomings. He reiterated his charge that the searches were being conducted to prepare [social media] reels for the Tiruchy East by-election.

Mr. Stalin said attempts to put pressure on the DMK would only strengthen the party. “The more pressure you exert on us, the higher we will rise. That is the DMK's DNA,” he said.

Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani thanked Mr Stalin for establishing the state-of-the-art Periyar Arivulagam, describing it as a significant contribution to promoting learning and rationalist thought at a time when society needed spaces for reflection. He recalled Mr. Stalin had established libraries in Chennai and Madurai during his tenure as Chief Minister, and said the new facility would further strengthen this commitment to knowledge and social reform.