Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sunday said Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay was leading a “dummy government” in the State.Speaking at a wedding function at Pattukottai in Thanjavur district, he said the TVK government had done nothing for the people of Tamil Nadu since it assumed office, and had implemented none of the promises made in its election manifesto. Mr. Vijay was not bothered about the problems faced by the people, and was leading the State as a “dummy” Chief Minister, he added.Mr. Udhayanidhi said the farmers had been the worst-affected since the TVK came to power. The Mettur dam was opened on time, and on some occasions well ahead of schedule, in the previous DMK regime, with then Chief Minister M.K. Stalin ensuring timely release of water for irrigation, he said.More than two months after the scheduled date (June 12), the dam is yet to be opened, Mr. Udhayanidhi said, adding that it had severely affected paddy cultivation in delta districts this ‘kuruvai’ season.He had brought it to the TVK-led government’s attention in the Assembly and demanded drought relief for the farmers. But the Chief Minister, ignorant of the difference between the kuruvai package and drought relief, said the government had already announced a kuruvai package for the farmers, Mr. Udhayanidhi said.He said the TVK government had claimed that there were no funds for drought relief and total crop loan waiver, but had announced cars for the MLAs. He further alleged that Mr. Vijay preferred not to answer the questions raised by the DMK members in the Assembly. Terming the TVK government as “arrogant,” Mr. Udhayanidhi said that Tamil Nadu was a leading State among all States in the overall growth until the DMK was in power. It had begun to go backward due to the poor governance of the TVK government. The people had also begun to realise this, and they would teach a fitting lesson to the TVK government soon, he said. Published - August 24, 2026 12:07 am IST