Udhaya doubtful of TVK govt’s longevity; cites stability issues

Chennai: On the day chief minister C Joseph Vijay proved his majority in the assembly, former deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin questioned the longevity of the TVK govt, saying the manner in which it was formed through post-poll political realignments and support arrangements already triggered doubts among the public about its stability.Udhayanidhi said TVK failed to secure a majority on its own and depended on support from parties and MLAs that had contested against it in the election. "People are beginning to wonder how long this govt will last, seeing the kind of political drama unfolding after the election," he said.He alleged that TVK, which campaigned on the promise of political change, was now engaging in the very practices it had criticised. Referring to allegations of horse-trading raised by AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran, Udhayanidhi said: "You said this would be a politics of change. But what is happening now is not change."Questioning the ruling party's mandate, he said only 1.72crore voters backed TVK, while more than 3.2crore people voted against it. "Nearly 65% of the people rejected this govt. Even those who voted for you are slowly beginning to lose confidence," he said.Udhayanidhi also pointed to TVK's reduced strength in the assembly and accused the party of relying on outside support to cross the majority mark. He took a swipe at reports of meetings with rival faction leaders, saying people expected "clean governance" but were instead witnessing political bargaining.At the same time, he urged the new administration not to discontinue welfare schemes launched under the previous DMK regime. "Do not play politics with welfare schemes," he said, referring to Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam, Pudhumai Penn and the breakfast scheme for school students."We transformed TN into the number one state in economic growth. Do not run an Instagram reels govt. Run a real govt," he said.