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During a discussion on law and order in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday, June 22, Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Aadhav Arjuna alleged that members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had been involved in sexual assault cases, including the rape of a two-year-old child. However, Speaker JCD Prabhakar intervened immediately, stating that such allegations should not be made without proof and asking the minister to substantiate his claim.
The issue came up during Zero Hour, when Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin raised concerns about law and order in the state, citing several incidents reported in recent weeks. Responding to him, Aadhav Arjuna argued that the present law-and-order challenges were the result of administrative failures during the DMK government's tenure over the past five years.
The minister accused the previous government of failing to curb the spread of narcotics and said the resulting drug culture had contributed to the increase in crime. Referring to Udhayanidhi's role in the previous government, Aadhav questioned whether adequate review meetings had been conducted to address offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
“Our Chief Minister and government have been implementing major reforms over the last 40 days,” Aadhav said, adding that the government needed time to see the results of those measures.
He then alleged that several DMK cadres had been involved in serious sexual offences. “We can say how many cadres from the DMK have even raped two-year-old children,” he said.
The Speaker immediately objected to the remark. “You cannot make such allegations without proof. If you are making a charge, provide the name of the cadre, the place, the case details and the police station concerned,” Prabhakar said.
Aadhav responded that he would submit the evidence to the Assembly the following day.
The Assembly also discussed several other issues during Zero Hour, including the ammonia gas leak reported on Sunday and broader law-and-order concerns. Earlier in the day, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs led by Edappadi K Palaniswami staged a walkout, alleging that they were not given an opportunity to speak on the Mekedatu dam issue.
Amid the heated exchanges and disruptions, several members across party lines also extended birthday wishes to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.
This article was written by a student interning with TNM.