Speaking to journalists in his constituency, Chidambaram said the long‑standing power‑generation and distribution flaws stem from decisions taken by successive administrations over the last half‑century, and urged the current government to publish a white paper outlining those systemic issues.
He added that the TVK‑led administration should not be scapegoated for the outages, noting that “ministers with little experience simply read out what officials write and hand over in support of the government.”
Chidambaram also turned to the high‑profile sexual‑assault allegation against R. Veeramani, owner of Gem Granites, insisting that anyone who helped the industrialist evade the law – whether through “kangaroo‑court settlements” or financial inducements – must be investigated and face strict action.
While pressing for accountability, he cautioned that there is “no evidence to claim that past rulers are the reason for not taking action in this case,” and stressed that politicians cannot be expected to monitor every registered complaint, suggesting that any undue influence is more likely to involve police personnel.
The MP linked his comments to the upcoming by‑election, saying the current political climate favours TVK and that the party is likely to win, but warned that reinstating former MLAs who had resigned and later returned “cannot be accepted.” He argued that TVK could have offered opportunities to other candidates and that the by‑election itself could have been avoided.
Chidambaram concluded by calling for a comprehensive review of the power sector, saying “those who ruled for 50 years must answer this matter,” and implied that a transparent assessment would help restore public confidence in the state’s electricity supply.