Chennai, Oct 19 Senior DMK leader and party’s Legal Wing Deputy Secretary I Paranthamen on Monday launched a sharp attack against the TVK government over the prevailing drug trafficking issues in Tamil Nadu, alleging that ruling party functionaries were directly involved in narcotic offences while Chief Minister Vijay maintained “complete silence”.
Addressing a press conference here, the former MLA read out a list of nine drug seizures and arrests, claiming they directly involved TVK functionaries rather than political outsiders.
“The nine people are all TVK functionaries, and nine criminal incidents have occurred. So, naturally, the doubt among the people of Tamil Nadu is whether this is Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam or Drugs Vettri Kazhagam?” Paranthamen said.
Among the cases highlighted, Paranthamen alleged that 137 kg of methamphetamine intended to be smuggled to Sri Lanka was seized from a TVK union secretary, Boobalan.
He also cited other drug hauls, including the seizure of 100 kg of ganja in Tiruppur, 140 kg of gutkha in Erode’s Bhavani, cannabis cultivation in Old Washermanpet, and gutkha cases in Madurai.
Paranthamen demanded accountability over law and order and the functioning of the state police.
“Does a state government even exist? Is the state police asleep? These are questions arising among the people of Tamil Nadu,” Paranthamen said, drawing an analogy to Roman emperor Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burned.
Paranthamen also questioned the efficacy of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) constituted by the government, asking whether the Rs 264-crore allocation set aside for the force had been utilised effectively and what concrete operations had been carried out so far.
He contrasted this with the DMK’s past governance, claiming significant anti-drug operations were executed under successive DGPs, including large-scale campus searches.
He accused the Chief Minister of “remaining unresponsive” to pressing public concerns and “abdicating administrative responsibility” by delegating his portfolios to cabinet ministers rather than directly addressing youth welfare and crime.
“The Chief Minister also refuses to open his mouth because of the TVK functionaries involved in drug busts,” Paranthamen said.
Calling upon the state’s youth to critically assess the incumbent government’s track record on governance and employment, the DMK leader asserted that his party would continue to stand with democratic institutions and hold the administration accountable.
(PTI News)
