Chennai

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) founder and MP Thol Thirumavalavan on Friday strongly criticised the passage of the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address without a concluding reply by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it a “murder of democracy” and an unprecedented event in Parliament’s history.

Speaking to reporters at the Chennai airport, Thirumavalavan alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party deliberately disrupted proceedings to prevent the Opposition from raising critical issues.

“For the first time in the history of Parliament, the Motion of Thanks was passed without the Prime Minister replying. The ruling party created chaos to ensure that the Opposition, including the Leader of the Opposition, could not speak, and forced the resolution through using only their numbers,” he claimed.

The VCK leader alleged that the government avoided parliamentary scrutiny on sensitive international and domestic matters, including questions related to Prime Minister Modi’s relationship with former US President Donald Trump.

“The Prime Minister failed to face the House because the government feared being questioned on several crucial issues. This is a serious blot on democratic functioning, and the responsibility lies squarely with him,” Thirumavalavan said.

He also launched a sharp attack on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over her recent remarks in Parliament, accusing the BJP of harbouring “anti-Tamil” sentiments.

“Under the guise of a speech, the finance minister displayed her mindset by making derogatory comments about the Tamil language. This reflects the BJP’s hostility towards Tamil Nadu, its language and its people,” he alleged.

Thirumavalavan praised Makkal Needhi Maiam founder and Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan for responding to the minister’s remarks in the Upper House.

“On behalf of the VCK, I thank Kamal Haasan for giving a strong and dignified reply. His speech in Tamil exposed the frustration and hollow rhetoric of the BJP,” he said.

On the party’s electoral preparations, Thirumavalavan said the VCK has begun drafting its election manifesto and is strengthening its organisational structure at the booth level.

“A high-level committee will soon meet to finalise the manifesto. Booth-level preparations, including the appointment of primary and secondary agents, are already underway,” he said.

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Responding to a question on actor-politician Vijay’s recent public appearance, Thirumavalavan said he had “nothing to comment” on the matter.