CM Stalin Slammed for Watching Rajinikanth's 'Coolie' Amid Crackdown on Sanitation Workers

Chennai- The opposition hit hard on the DMK government and CM MK Stalin for the midnight crackdown on sanitation workers. Several political parties, including the AIADMK, BJP, CPI(M), and Naam Tamilar Katchi, along with film industry personalities, have voiced support for the protest.

Senior BJP leader and former Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Thursday criticised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for watching the newly released Rajinikanth-starrer 'Coolie' even as hundreds of sanitation workers were being arrested during their ongoing protest in Chennai demanding better wages and job security.

In a statement, Tamilisai expressed disappointment that the Chief Minister had chosen to spend the evening watching a film instead of engaging with the agitating workers, who have been on strike for the past 13 days. She said she had personally witnessed the police action in which sanitation workers were forcefully removed from the protest site, detained, and taken away in about 14 buses.

According to her, nearly 800 workers were arrested during the operation. The government has cited a court order as the basis for dispersing the protesters. However, Tamilisai said the manner in which the removal was carried out was unacceptable. “It was distressing to see women who had fainted being taken away in ambulances,” she noted, adding that such situations should be handled with sensitivity and respect for the dignity of the workers.

She urged Stalin to meet the protesters directly and initiate constructive talks to resolve their demands, warning that allowing the standoff to escalate would only deepen the crisis. The workers, employed in the city’s conservancy services, have been protesting against the outsourcing of solid waste management to private contractors and are demanding permanent employment with fair wages. The arrests took place on Wednesday evening while the Chief Minister hosted a private screening of 'Coolie' at his Alwarpet residence for the film’s crew. After the screening, Stalin reportedly congratulated the team on the movie’s release. The sanitation workers’ protest has garnered support from opposition parties, trade unions, and civic activists, who have condemned the government’s handling of the situation.

Critics argue that the administration’s priority should have been to engage with the agitating workers rather than celebrating a film release. With the arrests and the protest now attracting statewide attention, political observers believe the controversy could intensify pressure on the ruling DMK to address labour concerns in municipal services.

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president and former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss launched a scathing attack on the Tamil Nadu government, accusing it of acting in a cowardly manner by ordering a late-night police crackdown. According to Ramadoss, the protest was peaceful and the demands were reasonable. "The workers only wanted the Corporation to manage waste removal directly and provide them with permanent jobs. If the government had the will, it could have accepted these demands from day one. Instead, it chose to suppress them," he said. The PMK leader argued that there was no real obstacle to resolving the matter quickly. Even if the current contractor required additional funds to improve wages and benefits, the state could have provided them. "But rather than showing compassion and administrative resolve, the government displayed intolerance and fear," he remarked.

Taking a direct swipe at Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Ramadoss claimed that the CM had ample time to intervene but "failed" to do so. "It appears that the Chief Minister has time only to watch films, not to meet and speak to the poor workers who clean our streets," the PMK president alleged. Ramadoss said the events of the past night had "exposed the government's priorities and character". "It is not bravery to send police in the middle of the night to remove poor, humble workers from the streets. It is cowardice. True bravery would have been to meet them face-to-face, listen to their grievances, and resolve the issue honourably," he declared. He warned that the people of Tamil Nadu would not forgive or forget the DMK government's treatment of the sanitation workers and vowed that his party would continue to stand by the labourers in their struggle for justice.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President Vijay sharply criticised the Tamil Nadu government for what he described as the inhumane and violent arrest of sanitation workers. In a strongly worded statement, Vijay accused the ruling DMK of using “fascist” tactics to suppress peaceful demonstrations. He alleged that late-night Wednesday police operations saw male and female workers forcibly dragged away, with several women fainting or sustaining injuries in the process. The violence inflicted on these women, he said, was intolerable for any person with a conscience, and he urged immediate medical attention for the injured along with measures to safeguard their health.

Vijay further condemned the manner in which the arrested workers were detained, claiming they were unable to contact their families or receive assistance. Questioning whether their strike made them “anti-national”, he said the incident showed that Tamil Nadu was being ruled not in the spirit of democracy but with sheer barbarism. He also reminded the DMK that the workers were demanding the very commitments the party itself had promised when it was in opposition. “Why have you still not fulfilled those promises? If you cannot honour your word, why make such assurances?” he asked.

Vijay called for the immediate release of all arrested workers and urged the government to provide an alternative venue where they could continue their protest peacefully. The ongoing agitation began earlier this month when sanitation workers in the Royapuram and Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar zones of the Greater Chennai Corporation launched a sit-in outside the Corporation’s headquarters. Their main demands include job permanency, better working conditions, and the rollback of plans to privatise conservancy operations in certain zones. The workers charged that privatisation will result in job losses and worsen already precarious working conditions.

Despite this backing, the standoff has intensified, with the Madras High Court recently directing authorities to act against protests in unauthorised locations. The government’s late-night arrests of the workers have now triggered fresh political criticism, with Vijay’s intervention adding to the mounting pressure on the ruling party to resolve the dispute. (IANS)