Speaking at a press briefing, Palaniswami said newspapers and citizens had repeatedly warned the Tamil Nadu government about the spread of dengue, yet the administration had not shown the same urgency it displayed when a student’s death was linked to scrub typhus earlier this year.
He criticized the health minister for missing a review meeting convened by the Director of Public Health, alleging that Arunraj was trying to “portray” the dengue impact as lower than it actually was, despite evidence that cases had risen compared with the previous year.
Palaniswami called on the state to launch intensive awareness campaigns and other preventive measures, urging officials to act swiftly to prevent further infections and deaths.
In a separate social‑media post, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran attacked Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay for focusing on “social media reels” during a visit to the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation headquarters, instead of addressing chronic power shortages, tariff hikes and law‑and‑order concerns.
Dhinakaran also rebuked Energy Minister C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar, accusing him of commenting on matters outside his portfolio, and demanded that the government fill vacant posts in the power utility and issue appointment orders to candidates selected by the Tamil Nadu Public Services Commission.
The AMMK chief further condemned the chief minister’s recent statement urging a “no‑compromise” stance on crimes against women and drug abuse, arguing that no substantive steps had been taken to tackle those issues.
Both opposition leaders framed their criticism as a call for the state to adopt an “iron‑hand” approach to public‑health emergencies, power reliability and gender‑based violence, warning that continued inaction could erode public confidence in the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam‑led government.