Chennai, June 23:
Tamil Nadu Assembly witnessed a sharp political exchange on Monday as Leader of Opposition and DMK leader Udayanidhi Stalin raised questions over governance, welfare schemes, power supply and administrative priorities, alongside a heated discussion on protocol related to the Tamil and National Anthem.
Udayanidhi Stalin said the Opposition was “disappointed” as no new announcements or welfare schemes were expected for the people.
“We were waiting whether any new schemes and good things for people in the past 40 days, but we are disappointed,” he said in the Assembly.
A key flashpoint in the House emerged over the singing of the Tamil Thai Vazhthu and the National Anthem at the start and end of the session. Udayanidhi Stalin objected to the repetition of the National Anthem, questioning the protocol.
“As we appealed and asked, you made the Tamil Anthem be sung first, which is right. But why is the National Anthem sung twice is what we ask,” he said.
Responding to the objection, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabakar said he did not find any issue in singing the National Anthem. “I don’t know what is wrong with singing the National Anthem. We made the Tamil Anthem sung first. If the Tamil Anthem is sung next, then it can be questioned,” he said, adding that Assembly proceedings were being conducted as per established rules.
After this, Tamil Nadu Minister Aadhav Arjun said, “For the last two to three years, the Tamil Anthem has not been sung properly before the Governor. We had to make hard compromises. There is no compromise that has happened.”
Responding to this, Udayanidhi Stalin said, “I appreciate the singing of the Tamil Anthem. If the National Anthem is sung two times, then the Tamil Anthem should have been sung three times.”
Meanwhile, the Speaker said, “According to this Assembly, due respect is being given, and the Assembly proceedings are being conducted as per the rules laid down by the Speaker and as per established procedures.”
Furthermore, raising governance issues, Udayanidhi Stalin criticised the administration over power supply disruptions, alleging worsening conditions in the state. “Within one month, we cannot change the state,” he said, adding that there was a “new habit of sticking labels on schemes brought by us and claiming them as first-time initiatives.”
He also raised concerns over the proposed privatisation of sanitation work and demanded clarification from the Chief Minister during his address.
On welfare schemes, he appreciated the government for continuing certain initiatives, including the expansion of the morning breakfast scheme up to Class 8. He also thanked the government for the correct implementation of women’s financial assistance schemes.
However, he questioned reports of discontinuation of the “Naan Mudhalvan” skill development scheme, stating that thousands of students had benefited from it. “What is there to stop that scheme? I ask the Chief Minister to give a statement in his speech,” he said.
Udayanidhi Stalin further alleged poor governance on power supply, stating that frequent outages had affected households, schools and industries. He claimed that even meetings of senior political leaders had been impacted due to power cuts.
Responding to the allegations, Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar said daily updates on power supply were being issued and assured that a white paper on the power situation would be released within two days.
Former Electricity Minister and DMK MLA V Senthil Balaji defended the previous regime’s performance, stating that Tamil Nadu had maintained an uninterrupted power supply during their tenure and procurement and infrastructure decisions had ensured stability.
AIADMK members, meanwhile, claimed that Tamil Nadu had achieved electricity surplus status during the Jayalalithaa regime and had supplied power to other states.
Udayanidhi Stalin also raised concerns over law and order, citing reported crimes against women and children. “In the last month, many cases where ruling party cadres are involved have come to light,” he alleged, questioning the Chief Minister’s silence on the issue.
He further criticised alleged attacks on protesting farmers and pending loan waiver promises, stating that only partial relief had been provided compared to earlier assurances
The DMK leader also referred to alleged irregularities in governance, including school students being made to participate in political events and increasing public dissatisfaction over infrastructure issues.
Udayanidhi Stalin said governance failures were impacting citizens across sectors, including agriculture, MSME industries and public safety, urging the Chief Minister to address the issues during his response in the Assembly.