Udhayanidhi Questions CM Vijay Over Onion Procurement

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Opposition Leader Udhayanidhi Stalin has strongly criticised the state government and Chief Minister Vijay over the purchase of onions intended for distribution to people through ration shops. In a social media post, he alleged that the government had failed badly in procuring onions through the Cooperation Department. Taking a dig at the Chief Minister, he questioned whether a “dummy CM” who allegedly knew how to buy MLAs did not know how to procure onions. He said the government’s decision to purchase 450 tonnes of onions from the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) without conducting any prior quality checks reflected its inefficiency. According to Udhayanidhi Stalin, the onions arrived by train from Maharashtra in a completely rotten and unusable condition.

He further alleged that officials left the spoiled onions at the Korukkupet railway terminal in an attempt to cover up the issue. As a foul smell began spreading, claims were reportedly made that the government had no connection with the consignment, he said. Udhayanidhi also alleged that some of the rotten onions were loaded onto lorries and sent to Tiruchirappalli’s Gandhi Market for sale. However, traders reportedly refused to purchase them without inspecting their quality, leaving the lorry drivers in a difficult situation. Pointing out that people were already struggling with rising onion prices, he accused the government of neglecting public welfare while focusing on by-election work. He also recalled an earlier controversy over the government’s promise to provide Ponni rice at Rs. 30 through ration shops, alleging that ordinary rice was polished and sold without proper tender procedures. Udhayanidhi demanded that Chief Minister Vijay explain who was responsible for purchasing the substandard onions and who attempted to conceal the matter.