AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, accusing him of speaking "contrary to truth" on the arrest of industrialist R. Veeramani of Gem Granites under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Speaking during campaign visits in the Madurantakam (SC) Assembly Constituency, where his party's nominee Kanitha Sampath is in the fray, Mr. Palaniswami questioned why the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam-led government had delayed the arrest if the case was as serious as it now claimed. He said the arrest had ultimately been carried out only after insistence from a special court, and not because of any prompt action by the government.
According to Mr. Palaniswami, the sequence of events itself showed that the administration had not acted decisively. He said a government pleader had sought adjournment on a few occasions, and only later was a "further action dropped" report filed. In his telling, the delay and the procedural steps taken by the prosecution undermined the government's current position and raised questions about its handling of the case.
The AIADMK leader went further, alleging that the present regime was "shielding" the accused. He said two Ministers from the TVK government had shared the stage with Veeramani at a function, and one of them had even referred to the industrialist as a "family friend." That, he argued, made the government's present stance even more suspect. "This is the first time that a government, by blaming some other party, has resorted to telling an utter lie and gaining sympathy," he said.
Mr. Palaniswami also drew support from the position taken by Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary P. Shanmugam, saying his view on the matter was similar. By invoking another political voice, the AIADMK leader sought to frame the issue not merely as a partisan exchange but as a broader question of credibility and accountability in the state's handling of a sensitive criminal case.
His criticism was not limited to the arrest controversy. Mr. Palaniswami also took aim at the Chief Minister personally, saying Mr. Vijay was "acting in real life too" and not just in feature films. The remark was a pointed reference to the Chief Minister's public persona and political style, and it underscored the increasingly personal tone of the campaign rhetoric.
The AIADMK leader, who campaigned in Ramapuram, L. Endathur and Elappakkam within the constituency, used the platform to present a wider indictment of the TVK-led government's law and order record. He listed instances of crime, including murders and violence against women, since the regime took office, seeking to portray the administration as failing on public safety as well as on political integrity.
The attack comes at a politically sensitive moment, with the bypoll campaign in Madurantakam intensifying and parties sharpening their messaging around governance, law and order, and the handling of high-profile cases. By centring his remarks on the Veeramani arrest, Mr. Palaniswami aimed to turn a legal controversy into a broader critique of the government's conduct, suggesting that the issue was not just about one industrialist but about how power is exercised and defended.
The allegations are likely to deepen the political contest between the AIADMK and the ruling TVK, especially as both sides seek to shape public perception ahead of the vote. For the AIADMK, the episode offers an opportunity to question the government's credibility. For the TVK, the challenge will be to counter the charge that it delayed action and then attempted to recast the narrative once the arrest became unavoidable.