Stay back and listen to me if you have the guts, CM Stalin tells Palaniswami in T.N. Assembly

AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami addresses the media after staging a walkout from the Assembly on Thursday
| Photo Credit: M. Vedhan

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Thursday (March 20, 2025) witnessed a heated exchange between Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami over four murders that took place in the State on March 19, 2025.

At one point, Mr. Stalin dared Mr. Palaniswami, who was about to leave the House, to stay back and listen to his reply “if he had the guts.”

“I am not saying that these incidents did not take place. The point is whether the government has taken action or not,” the Chief Minister told Mr. Palaniswami, who staged a walkout with AIADMK MLAs. O. Panneerselvam, who was expelled from the AIADMK but had supported the party’s motion against Speaker Appavu, did not join the walkout.

When Mr. Palaniswami sought to raise the issue after the question hour, Mr. Appavu said it could be raised another day since it had been brought to his attention only at 9.25 a.m. But Mr. Palaniswami insisted that it was a matter of urgency.

Leader of the House Duraimurugan also said adequate time should be given to Ministers to give replies to issues raised in the House. Mr. Stalin, however, asked the Speaker to allow Mr. Palaniswami to raise the issue.

‘Not allowing us to speak’

While raising the issue, Mr. Palaniswami also leveled allegations against the State government and the Speaker, and Mr. Duraimurugam reminded him to confine himself to the issue at hand. Subsequently, Mr. Palaniswami and AIADMK MLAs staged a walkout, accusing the Speaker of not allowing them to speak in the House.

The Chief Minister, in his reply, recalled the police firing in Thoothukudi in which 14 people were killed and the custodial deaths in Sathankulam during the AIADMK rule. “Mr. Palaniswami had decided to leave the House now because he is afraid of listening to the details in my reply,” he said.

The Chief Minister said social media highlighting incidents of murder had created an impression that the law and order was deteriorating. He also spelled out statistics to reiterate his argument that criminal incidence and murders had come down drastically after the DMK assumed office in 2021.

Mr. Stalin said John alias Chanakya in Erode was a history-sheeter and was murdered to avenge a previous murder. The police had tracked down those who were behind the murder and opened fire on the gang when they tried to attack police personnel. Four suspects were injured and are being treated in Coimbatore hospital, he said.