CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has nothing to conceal on custodial deaths but is transparent in administration and tough on criminals, chief minister M K Stalin told the Assembly on Monday and claimed that expeditious steps led to effective tackling of crimes, including murders and smuggling of ganja.
Slamming the opposition AIADMK for attempting to paint a grim picture on the law and order situation in the state, he said the AIADMK has no moral right to talk about smuggling of ganja as the gutka scam had emerged during its rule.
Responding to the charges levelled by Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and AIADMK leader K Palaniswami who attempted to punch holes in the ruling DMK's handling of law and order, the Chief Minister said his government already gave explanations about the custodial deaths of V Vignesh of Chennai and Thangamani of Thattaranai village in Tiruvannamalai, and had transferred the case pertaining to Vignesh to Crime Branch CID for thorough enquiry.
"This government is not hiding anything in these cases. The government is transparent. These are not being handled the way the Sathankulam custodial death of father and son (in Thoothukudi district) was done during your (AIADMK) regime," Stalin said.
Palaniswami, who raised a host of issues while initiating a debate on the demand for grants for home department which is held by the Chief Minister, demanded a probe by CBI into Vignesh's death.
Intervening, the Chief Minister said his government will take stringent action on the accused and would not shield them. Wondering if the AIADMK had handed over any case to the central investigating agency, Stalin said the state police were competent to conduct an impartial enquiry and take appropriate action.
Earlier, Palaniswami said Tamil Nadu was an Eden of Peace during the AIADMK rule. The two-day summit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Mahabalipuram in October 2019 and the handling of the Athi Varadar festival (in neighbouring Kancheepuram district), which attracted over 1.77 crore devotees during the 48-day event (which concluded in August 2019), were testimonies of the effective maintenance of law and order in the state.
"There was neither rowdyism nor communal or caste clashes. Tamil Nadu was an Eden of Peace. Police were given a free hand during the AIADMK rule," he claimed. But there was a spate of crimes including those targeting women and senior citizens now, he alleged.
Contending that law and order was far better now than what it was during the AIADMK regime, Stalin said his government accomplished in a year's time what the AIADMK failed during a decade of its rule.
Refuting Palaniswamy's charge, Stalin said the culprits responsible for the murder of the elderly couple Srikanth and his wife Anuradha, who returned from the US on Saturday in Mylapore, here, were nabbed within 6 hours of the occurrence of the double murder.
"The accused were intercepted and arrested near a check post in Ongole in Andhra Pradesh and brought to Chennai. About 1,000 sovereigns of gold and 50 kg of silver articles were recovered from them," the Chief Minister said and lauded the Chennai Police Commissioner and the special teams for solving the case in a short period of time.
"We are taking prompt action against the criminals," he said.
But Palaniswami claimed the criminals were getting emboldened during the DMK rule. "During our administration, the rule of law prevailed," he said during the intense debate.
"The situation improved for the better after the DMK came to power. We achieved what you had failed. I had launched the Kaaval Uthavi mobile app which helps citizens, especially women, in seeking police assistance during any emergency," Stalin said. His government would not be lenient on the wrongdoers, he added.
When Palaniswami alleged that ganja was easily accessible near educational institutions, Stalin shot back saying, "The AIADMK has no moral right to talk about ganja as the gutka scam had surfaced only during your rule." Apart from seizing the contraband and effecting arrests, the police acted swiftly to curtail the smuggling of the substance from the neighbouring state.
Referring to the scuffle during the recently held urban civic polls, Palaniswami alleged that the AIADMK leaders and cadres were arrested by the police and denied permission to stage peaceful protests.
Denying this, the Chief Minister asserted that due permission was being given for the party workers to stage protests, and many of those were to condemn the DVAC raids on former AIADMK ministers.
