Chennai, Sept 7:
Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday accused Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay of making “punch dialogues” and speaking only for social media reels, after DMK MLAs walked out of the Assembly alleging that he was denied an opportunity to respond to the Chief Minister’s remarks.
Speaking to reporters after the walkout, Udhayanidhi alleged that Vijay had made several “baseless” allegations against the DMK during his reply in the Assembly. He said he had raised 15 questions with the Chief Minister but had not received an answer to even one of them.
Udhayanidhi said the Opposition had sought permission to respond after Vijay completed his speech. He claimed that although the Speaker had initially indicated that he would be allowed to speak, permission was later denied, allegedly under pressure from someone.
The DMK leader also criticised Vijay for what he described as repeated delays in responding to the Opposition. Referring to the Chief Minister’s earlier statement that he would respond on Monday, Udhayanidhi said Vijay had “run away” after making the statement last Thursday.
Accusing the Chief Minister of presenting what he called incorrect claims as though they had been memorised, Udhayanidhi said Vijay was relying on “punch dialogues and diversion tactics” rather than answering questions raised by the Opposition.
“Punch dialogue and diversion tactics” were the only tools being used by the Chief Minister, Udhayanidhi alleged, adding that Vijay’s statements appeared to be aimed at creating content for social media reels rather than addressing the issues raised in the Assembly.
Udhayanidhi also said the DMK had no objection to action being taken against its members if there were cases against them, but insisted that the government should respond to the Opposition’s questions instead of making political allegations.
The exchange adds to the growing political confrontation between the ruling TVK government and the DMK-led Opposition in the Assembly, with Udhayanidhi increasingly targeting Vijay over governance, law and order and the functioning of the new administration. Vijay, meanwhile, has been hitting back at the DMK during Assembly debates.