Udhayanidhi Stalin Dares CM Vijay to Open Corruption Files in Assembly

Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Friday challenged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in the Assembly in Chennai to open three corruption files currently on his desk and initiate action on them immediately.

Initiating a debate in the House, Udhayanidhi addressed earlier statements made by the chief minister regarding alleged corruption during the previous DMK regime. He questioned why the government was delaying action if it possessed the necessary evidence.

"The chief minister has accused our previous DMK regime mentioning not to force him to reveal the details. I insist that he open the files and take action. Why are you afraid to reveal and why are you delaying," Udhayanidhi said during the session. A remark he made regarding the chief minister's decision-making was later expunged by Speaker J C D Prabhakar.

Intervening in the discussion, Minister N Anand stated that the government possessed full evidence concerning the files and gave assurances to the House that legal action would follow at an appropriate time.

Speaker Prabhakar dismissed claims that the chief minister relied on external influences, clarifying that decision-making followed structured, formal consultations with departmental officials. Prabhakar also appealed to members to refrain from cinematic behaviour and phrases such as "punch dialogues," adding that unverified claims would not be permitted without documentation.

The exchange followed statements made by Chief Minister Vijay in the Assembly on August 19, in which he warned the opposition against demanding evidence and stated that reviewed files from three government departments were already on his table.

During the session, Udhayanidhi also announced that all 59 DMK MLAs would decline the state government's proposal to provide official vehicles to legislators, citing the state's financial difficulties and suggesting that only economically disadvantaged members should receive them. The Treasury bench defended the measure as an essential amenity to help MLAs serve their constituencies.

Debate also touched on the impact of live legislative broadcasts, with Minister Aadhav Arjuna defending full broadcasts as a step toward transparency, while Minister Anand noted strong public engagement with the televised proceedings.