Chennai:
In a statement shared by the DMK on X, Virudhunagar North District Secretary and former minister Thangam Thennarasu said reports claiming Stalin predicted the government’s collapse within three months were a distortion of what was actually said.
Defending Stalin’s remarks, the DMK leader noted that the DMK party chief had initially decided not to criticise the newly elected government for six months. However, he argued that the State’s law-and-order situation had deteriorated significantly within a month of the administration taking office.
“A new government has been in power in Tamil Nadu for one month. Even if you watch TV or flip through newspapers during this one month, the news is all about murders, robberies, sexual violence, and drug trafficking. In various crime incidents, executives of the ruling party, TVK, are involved,” he said.
He also referred to incidents within the ruling party, saying, “A woman from the ruling party was subjected to sexual violence by her own party members, and those individuals have been arrested. No action has been taken yet against the ruling party MLA accused by that woman. However, the government, which pretends to be a pure force, has expelled the affected woman from the party.”
According to Thennarasu, Stalin’s comments were intended to highlight public dissatisfaction with the government’s performance rather than suggest that the administration would be removed from power.
“Even though our party leader, MK Stalin, had said, ‘We will not criticise this government for six months,’ he did criticise it as the situation worsened severely,” he said.
Quoting Stalin’s remarks, Thennarasu said the DMK leader had observed that “it’s not six months, the regime is heading towards a state where it can’t even last three months.”
However, he stated that “news is being twisted and spread that he said the government would collapse in three months”.
“When journalists asked various political party leaders about this, they said the DMK leader should not have spoken like that. The leader did not speak about overthrowing the government; nor is that his stance,” Thennarasu said.
He had said, “We will not criticise and speak about this government for up to six months.” But seeing murders, robberies, machete attacks, drug trafficking, petrol bomb throwing, power cuts, farmers’ protests, and sexual violence happening every day, in the sense of “How can we stay silent without criticizing this?” he said it in a way that means, “The government is proceeding only with a question mark of whether it can last even three months.'”
Thennarasu also claimed that public frustration with the ruling party had emerged rapidly after the election, arguing that voters had become disillusioned within days of the government assuming office.
“They say the honeymoon period is sixty days. But those who voted for the current ruling party were calm only for a week. On social media, people are expressing only angry opinions against the ruling party,” he said.
Responding to criticism from other political leaders, he reiterated that the DMK was not advocating regime change.
“This is exactly what the leader pointed out in his speech. Not with thoughts of regime change or overthrow. The people themselves have become exhausted already,” he said.
