Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan on Monday accused Chief Minister M.K. Stalin of remaining “inactive” in the last four years of DMK rule and claimed it had resulted in “lock-up” deaths at police stations.

Speaking to journalists in Tiruchi, Mr. Murugan said people of the State had to bear the brunt of the inaction of the Chief Minister as he held the Home Department portfolio.

People are afraid to approach the police stations, Mr. Murugan alleged, citing the recent alleged assault on a pregnant woman at a police station near Tiruttani when she went to lodge a complaint.

Alleging that the DMK government’s rule was marked by corruption, murders, robberies, and extensive spread of narcotic substances, Mr. Murugan claimed that the general public had decided to throw it out.

Asked about the high-level review meeting convened by Mr. Stalin to discuss the law and order situation in the State on Monday, the BJP leader alleged that the officers were neither listening to Mr. Stalin nor following his instructions. Officers were ruling the State, he claimed.

“If the Chief Minister had governed the State in the right manner, would there be circulation of narcotic substances or lock-up deaths?” he asked.

Answering a query, he said the DMK was rattled by the AIADMK-BJP alliance. Asserting that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is an united front and will be a winning combination in the 2026 Assembly election, Mr. Murugan said none could cause confusion in it.

Citing Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks, he added that the AIADMK led the National Democratic Alliance in Tamil Nadu.