Opposition parties have intensified pressure on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over allegations that Kallakurichi MLA C Arul Vignesh sent inappropriate messages to a woman district collector, with the DMK filing a complaint with the state director general of police seeking legal action.
The allegations and the government’s response have triggered a political dispute over accountability involving an elected representative and a senior district administrator. The Times of India reported that DMK president M K Stalin, leader of the opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, AIADMK organisational secretary D Jayakumar and AIDWA state president K Balabharathi accused the chief minister of shielding the MLA.
The report did not publish the alleged messages or establish whether a police case had been registered against Arul Vignesh. The allegations remain contested political claims in the material available. The DMK’s complaint to the DGP is the clearest reported formal step seeking action against the MLA.
DMK organisational secretary R S Bharathi submitted the complaint after a meeting of TVK MLAs at a resort on Wednesday. Stalin described that meeting as a “damage control” exercise and rejected the reported narrative that Vijay had issued a “stern warning” to TVK MLAs. He questioned why action had not been taken against the Kallakurichi MLA and the deputy speaker if the chief minister had acted firmly.
Stalin also referred to the reported distribution of Diwali gifts to the legislators, asking whether that represented the strict action the chief minister had promised. His remarks formed part of the opposition’s wider criticism that the government had failed to respond adequately to the allegations.
Udhayanidhi Stalin separately questioned why the chief minister had not initiated action against the MLA and the deputy speaker. He asked whether Vijay lacked the resolve to act against members of his own party over alleged wrongdoing. The report did not include a response from the MLA, the deputy speaker or the chief minister directly addressing the allegations.
AIADMK leader D Jayakumar also criticised the handling of the matter. The report quoted him as saying that, if he had been in the collector’s position, he would have ordered “an encounter” against the accused. The remark adds another layer to the political dispute but does not establish any official finding regarding the alleged messages.
Separately, AIDWA state president K Balabharathi led a protest in Chennai demanding the MLA’s arrest. She criticised the TVK government and the chief minister for failing to act against the party legislator and called for an apology to the collector.
Balabharathi also criticised Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Manickam Tagore for defending the MLA and describing him as “paavam”. She questioned how the government could claim to ensure women’s safety if a district collector could allegedly be subjected to inappropriate communication, and raised concerns about the implications for women without comparable institutional authority.
The immediate reported developments are the DGP complaint, the Chennai protest and the opposition’s demand for action against the MLA and the deputy speaker. The next formal step will depend on the police and government response to the complaint and on whether any investigation or legal proceedings are announced.
