People are searching for governance: Udhayanidhi hits out at CM Vijay

Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin criticised the Tamil Nadu government, alleging governance had deteriorated under Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. He accused the ruling dispensation of prioritising political theatrics over administration and urged DMK workers to oppose anti-people policies

Chennai: Hitting out at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin said on Sunday that the people of Tamil Nadu were now searching for the governance they once had.

Vijay, in his closing speech in the State Assembly on July 23, had mocked Udhayanidhi, saying he was searching for his ‘appa’ – DMK president M K Stalin – who could not be found in the House, in a reference to Stalin’s defeat in the Assembly elections.

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“Tamil Nadu once had governance. Today, the people of the state have begun searching for where it has gone,” Udhayanidhi said at a wedding function in Pudukkottai. He accused the ruling TVK government of repeatedly targeting the DMK with searches while welcoming “corrupt forces”, which, he alleged, became “pure forces” after joining its ranks.

Udhayanidhi lashed out at the functioning of the Legislative Assembly under the current regime, likening the House proceedings to a “film shooting spot.” He alleged that the CM was more concerned with checking camera angles and positioning in the Assembly than with governance, accusing him of staging a performance every day.

“It makes us wonder whether this is an Assembly, a cinema theatre, or a shooting spot,” he said. Speaking at another wedding function in the Orathanadu area of Thanjavur district, Udhayanidhi said ordinary citizens were facing hardships under the current regime, with the public left searching for necessities like electricity and water, and questioning the “deterioration of law and order.”

He said established welfare programmes like the ‘Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai’ and the ‘Puthumai Penn’ schemes remained highly popular, and alleged the current government was struggling because it was unable to halt these initiatives.

Urging party cadres to stand united, Udhayanidhi asked them to shoulder the responsibility of thwarting the government’s “anti-people activities.”