Chennai, Jan 20 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu Assembly witnessed high drama on Tuesday as the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) led a coordinated walkout by the Opposition, accusing the ruling DMK of suppressing debate and demanding the resignation of Chief Minister M K Stalin over an alleged collapse of law and order.
The walkout followed the Speaker’s refusal to allow a discussion on the state’s law and order situation sought by Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami. Protesting what they termed an attempt to stifle voices on issues of public concern, AIADMK legislators exited the House and were joined by members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), raising slogans against the government.
The Opposition protest came amid a tumultuous inaugural sitting of the 2026 session, which had already been jolted earlier by the Governor’s walkout. Governor R. N. Ravi left the House without delivering the customary address after insisting that the National Anthem be played following Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu—a demand the government rejected, citing long-standing Assembly convention.
In the Governor’s absence, the House adopted a resolution moved by the Chief Minister to treat the English text of the undelivered address as the official address to the Assembly. Outside the Assembly, Palaniswami addressed the media and mounted a sharp attack on the DMK government, drawing on claims contained in the Governor’s address document.
He alleged that memoranda of understanding worth Rs 12 lakh crore had failed to materialise into real investments, resulting in Tamil Nadu’s national ranking for industrial investment slipping from fourth to sixth place. Citing what he said were official figures, the AIADMK leader alleged a 33 per cent increase in sexual harassment cases, with minors accounting for 55 per cent of POCSO cases, nearly 2,000 suicides linked to drug abuse, and a rise in atrocities against Scheduled Castes.
He further claimed that around 20,000 suicides in a single year had earned the State the “dubious tag” of the suicide capital of India. Highlighting large vacancies in educational institutions and ongoing protests by government employees, Palaniswami asserted that law and order had “completely collapsed” under the DMK.
“During AIADMK rule, law and order was firmly maintained,” he said, concluding that the alleged failures of governance left the Chief Minister with no moral authority to continue in office and warranted his resignation.
–IANS
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