Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), AIADMK general secretary, has sharply criticized the DMK government for arresting protesting nurses instead of fulfilling its 2021 election promises on job regularization.
The protest, organized by the Tamil Nadu Nurses Development Association, took place on Chennai’s Sivananda Salai, where over 1,000 nurses from across the state staged a hunger strike demanding reinstatement of nurses hired during the COVID-19 pandemic under the previous AIADMK regime.
Police detained the nurses around 7:30 PM, transporting them first to Koyambedu bus terminus and later re-arresting them, confining them to a nearby private marriage hall. Despite being detained, the nurses, who have been protesting for four-and-a-half years, refused to disperse, chanting slogans against the DMK administration.
EPS demanded the immediate release of all detained nurses and called for reinstatement of those terminated by the current government. He also urged the DMK to honor its 2021 assembly election manifesto promise to regularize contract nurses appointed during the pandemic.
Labeling Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s government a “failure model,” EPS said the administration had betrayed workers who served on the frontlines.
This protest follows a series of earlier agitations, including a planned hunger strike announced in November 2025. EPS has repeatedly criticized the government since 2023 over nurse terminations. The ongoing unrest highlights concerns over staffing in government hospitals, with nurses alleging that unqualified personnel are being assigned critical duties.