Chennai, March 17 The opposition AIADMK and its allies staged protests across Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, condemning the DMK government for the alleged deterioration of law and order in the state.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, who heads the NDA in the state, led the state-wide agitation from Chennai, while BJP state chief Nainar Nagenthran participated in the agitation in Madurai.
Former Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, BJP Mahila Morcha president and Coimbatore South legislator Vanathi Srinivasan, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss, AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran, TMC founder G K Vasan, along with leaders from the IJK and NJP, also participated in the protests held in various parts of the state.
Speaking on the occasion, Palaniswami claimed that after the DMK came to power in 2021, the sale of illicit liquor increased, and drugs were available even to school and college students.
"We send our children to schools to get educated, but they are affected due to the sale of ganja near educational institutions. We see visuals of students consuming liquor near schools," Palaniswami said.
The agitation was also aimed at condemning the state government for the alleged lack of safety for women and children and the increasing drug menace in Tamil Nadu.
Taking strong exception to the protest, State Natural Resources Minister S Regupathy challenged the AIADMK to provide statistics on crimes that occurred during the previous AIADMK regime and compare them with the crimes that occurred during the DMK rule.
"The AIADMK and the BJP are trying to create a false impression that women are unsafe in Tamil Nadu. Under the DMK government, steps have been taken to protect women, and in encouraging victims to file complaints. These measures were lacking during the AIADMK rule," Regupathy told reporters here.