Senthilbalaji Accuses Ministers of Evading Assembly Questions in Chennai

Former DMK minister V Senthilbalaji on Saturday accused ministers in the Assembly in Chennai of evading questions from the opposition and turning the House into a platform for political confrontation.

Speaking on the conduct of the proceedings, Senthilbalaji alleged that ministers were resorting to provocative remarks instead of providing direct answers to queries raised on the floor. He also dared the government to file any number of cases against the opposition, stating that they were prepared to face them through legal means.

Highlighting a recent exchange with electricity minister R Nirmalkumar during the discussion on demand for grants for the department, Senthilbalaji questioned the handling of an inquiry into missing equipment. He stated that he had asked how 38 hard disks were recovered when only 18 had been reported missing, and sought clarity on where the remaining 20 hard disks came from.

According to Senthilbalaji, the electricity minister did not provide an answer to the query and instead used diversionary tactics. He added that the public was closely observing these actions and would provide a fitting reply at an appropriate time.

Senthilbalaji further defended the previous DMK regime against government criticism by citing data from a recently released white paper on the power sector. He noted that official records documented the replacement of 99,000 transformers alongside a reduction in the electricity department's annual debt from Rs 14,500 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 933 crore in 2025-26.