AIADMK-led NDA holds protests across Tamil Nadu against DMK over law and order

Chennai: For the first time since cobbling up the coalition, constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu led by the AIADMK on Tuesday held massive protests across the state against the DMK government over its failure in maintaining law and order and put an end to the drug menace.

While AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami led the protests in Chennai, leaders of alliance partners held demonstrations in several parts of the state. Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagenthiran participated in Madurai, party leaders K Annamalai, Tamilisai Soundararajan, and Vanathi Srinivasan in Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, and Tiruppur respectively.

PMK president R Anbumani led the protests in Cuddalore, AMMK chief T T V Dhinakaran in Thanjavur, and Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) President G K Vasan in Erode. At the protest in Villupuram, AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP C Ve Shanmugam stoked a row by dragging an actress into the discussion while taking a swipe at Chief Minister M K Stalin.

“Abdul Kalam said you have to dream. But Stalin has gone a step ahead to ask people what is their dream. He says he will fulfill it. Yes, I need Nayantara (popular actor). One will ask he wants to marry Nayantara, will he help him marry her,” Shanmugam asked.

This is the first time that the constituents of NDA have come together to protest against the DMK government – the alliance was under attack for its non-cohesive nature. The protest was called to condemn the increasing number of incidents of sexual assault against women and murders across the state.

Leading the protests in Chennai, Palaniswami alleged that illicit liquor flows free in the state and the sale of ganja has gone unabated. "The Intelligence department should get clues about sales of drugs and alert the Government, but they are only working for Chief Minister M K Stalin's family," Palaniswami alleged.

Blaming the DMK government for not appointing a full-time DGP since August last year, Palaniswami said that the state has witnessed 1,408 murders last year, and as many as 246 murders in 2026.