Udhayanidhi's elevation as Dy CM will not bring any progress to TN, says MoS L Murugan

CHENNAI: Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliament Affairs, L Murugan on Saturday said if minister Udhayanidhi Stalin is given the charge of deputy chief minister, there will not be much progress in Tamil Nadu.

Talking to reporters after participating in the Swachhta Hi Sewa activities at Doordarshan Kendra here, Murugan said Tamil Nadu will not make any progress due to minister Udhayanidhi's elevation as deputy chief minister.

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If Udhayanidhi is elevated as deputy chief minister, one more family member from the first family would be given a berth in the Cabinet and that's all, he noted.

"After DMK came to power in TN in 2021, the drug trafficking and other illegal activities have increased in the state. If the criminals are arrested, they should be brought before the Law, not before the bullets, " Murugan said alluding to the recent encounters against the notorious criminals.

He also questioned the law and order situation of Tamil Nadu and said that the pistols cannot fix the law and order situation in the state.

"There is a state where the Rule of Law exists, and a Constitution and a Court of Law. A punishment can only be through all these channels, " Murugan said.

Emphasizing the need to implement a ban on alcohol, the Union Minister said the Centre-ruling BJP's demand is to ban alcohol in Tamil Nadu.

"We have already implemented liquor prohibition in Gujarat and Bihar. But the ruling DMK will not implement prohibition in Tamil Nadu, because it is DMK men who own the liquor manufacturing units and sell it. When states like Bihar and Gujarat have implemented prohibition, why can't Tamil Nadu do the same?" he questioned.

The BJP Rajya Sabha MP also took a dig at the DMK-VCK ties and called the VCK's De-addiction conference a drama.