Chennai: Chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday delivered his first reply to the governor’s address in the assembly, reiterating his govt would neither allow anyone to misuse public money nor spare those who did so in the past.Vijay rebutted charges that he was a political novice and defended his fledgling govt’s 40-day track record, including the launch of the Singappen scheme. He reiterated that the TVK govt would not adopt a confrontational approach with the Union govt, but would not compromise on the state’s rights.Vijay blamed the previous DMK govt for the prevailing law and order situation, crimes against women and frequent power cuts. He urged people to give his govt time to fix the fiscal system and fulfil the poll promises.The chief minister, who spoke for nearly an hour, began his address, dismissing the criticism of his being a “reels govt”, which is a result of just two years of politics. Vijay said his public outreach began in the 1990s and recalled his involvement in protests related to jallikattu, Sterlite and NEET. “In the last two years, we faced immense trouble and suffered pain. We had to take the blame for no fault of ours,” he said, in a reference to the Karur stampede, in which 41 people died at his rally in Sept 2025.Vijay said his govt launched the Singappen special force, provided 200 units of free electricity, waived crop loans, shut down 717 Tasmac outlets and secured a major shipbuilding project for Tuticorin. “This is just a sample,” Vijay said, promising more schemes.Describing the administration as a “common man’s govt”, Vijay said it would neither take money from the people nor allow others to do so. “We will not touch public money. We will also not let others touch it; we will not spare those who touched it in the past,’’ he said to thumping of desks by TVK ministers and MLAs.Referring to concerns raised by DMK president M K Stalin over law and order, Vijay said the deterioration did not begin after TVK assumed office on May 10. The present situation, including the drug menace, was the result of the previous govt’s failure to act at an early stage, he said.Noting that there were eight dalit ministers and four women ministers in his cabinet, Vijay asked whether those who claimed to be champions of social justice and protectors of women had provided similar representation in their cabinets.He rejected the opposition’s charge that the TVK govt existed because of DMK’s support. “This govt was formed with the support of the people,” he said, pointing out that the Left parties had publicly stated that their decision to support TVK was their own.Responding to the criticism that his administration was a “sofa model govt”, Vijay said those interested in conducting furniture, sofa and table business should keep it outside the Assembly.
