Chennai, Nov 12 (IANS) The opposition AIADMK has announced a large-scale protest in Tamil Nadu’s Tindivanam on November 14, accusing the DMK government of failing to control the “surge” in crimes against women, the spread of narcotics, and the overall “deterioration” of law and order in the state.

Party general secretary and leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) said in a statement that the demonstration will be held near the Gandhi statue at 10 a.m. and will be led by former minister and Villupuram district secretary C.Ve. Shanmugam.

The protest comes close on the heels of the “brutal murder” of two temple guards in Virudhunagar, which the AIADMK has termed a “symbol of administrative collapse” under the DMK.

EPS said the protest was necessitated by the “alarming rise” in sexual violence and assaults on women, citing recent cases such as the assault complaint involving a police constable in Tindivanam and the “gangrape” of a college student in Coimbatore.

He said these incidents have created widespread fear among women and families across the state.

“Such crimes have become a continuous chain, with offenders operating fearlessly. The government’s negligence has emboldened them,” Palaniswami said in the statement.

The AIADMK chief further alleged that drug trafficking and substance abuse among minors and youth had increased sharply during the DMK’s tenure.

Despite repeated alerts through Assembly debates, public statements, and media reports, he said the government had taken no “serious corrective measures”.

EPS also lashed out at the DMK regime for what he called administrative inefficiency and insensitivity to public hardship, adding that spiralling prices of essential commodities and tax hikes had pushed ordinary people to distress.

Calling the current state of affairs a “dark chapter” in Tamil Nadu’s governance, he urged AIADMK cadre, local body representatives, and the public, particularly women, to take part in large numbers in the November 14 protest to “raise a collective voice for justice, safety, and accountability”.

–IANS

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