TVK Chief Vijay Condemns Arrest of Chennai Sanitation Workers, Calls DMK Action “Inhuman and Chaotic”

Chennai, Aug 2025: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay on Thursday sharply criticised the Tamil Nadu government led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin over the arrest of protesting sanitation workers in Chennai, describing it as “inhuman and chaotic.” In an Instagram post, Vijay stated, “I condemn the fascist DMK government for arresting sanitation workers peacefully fighting for their rights in the dark of night in an inhuman and chaotic manner!”

The arrests took place on Wednesday night when Chennai police detained sanitation workers who had been protesting outside the Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) Ripon Building for 13 consecutive days. The action followed a Madras High Court directive to clear the protest site. Reports suggest that during the operation, several women sanitation workers fainted, were forcibly dragged, and sustained serious injuries. Vijay said, “Women have been subjected to violence to an extent no sane person can tolerate. The injured must be provided immediate medical attention, and necessary steps should be taken to safeguard their health. The detained workers are being kept at multiple locations, preventing contact with their families or any form of assistance. Are sanitation workers considered anti-national? Does the ruling government have any conscience? This brutal action is a clear sign that what is happening in Tamil Nadu is tyranny, not democracy.”

Vijay emphasised that the sanitation workers were protesting because the DMK government has not fulfilled the promises it made when in opposition. “Why have these promises not been honoured? If they cannot be fulfilled, why make them in the first place? The sanitation workers, arrested in such a cruel manner, must be released immediately. They should also be provided an alternate venue to continue their protest and raise their demands,” he said.

Approximately 800 sanitation workers, employed under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), had been protesting the GCC’s plan to privatise waste management in Zones 5 and 6. Around midnight, the workers were forcibly removed and taken away in buses within 45 minutes. For 13 days, hundreds of workers staged sit-ins in front of Ripon Building, insisting that the privatisation plan threatened their jobs and left them vulnerable to exploitation by private contractors.

The protests also extended to Royapuram (Zone 5) and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar, as the GCC announced plans to outsource solid waste management in these zones. Previously, 10 of Chennai’s 15 zones had already been privatised, with companies such as Spain-based Urbaser-Sumeet and Andhra Pradesh-based Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd (REEL) managing the work. The remaining zones, under direct GCC control, were now targeted for outsourcing. The sanitation workers demanded permanent employment under the NULM scheme and insisted that sanitation operations remain under public control.

Vijay’s criticism underscores growing opposition to the government’s handling of labour protests in Chennai. His statements highlight concerns over workers’ rights, the use of force, and the democratic accountability of the state government in handling civic and labour-related issues.