Vijay urges TVK legislators to unite and avoid controversies

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay urged legislators from his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party to remain united, serve the public and avoid controversy at a meeting on November 11, as the party faced scrutiny over allegations involving two lawmakers. He also told them to bring constituency grievances to him at the Secretariat, attendees said.

The meeting lasted nearly three hours at a private resort near Mamallapuram, according to an account from attendees. Vijay spoke with legislators in batches, first meeting women lawmakers, then other MLAs and finally ministers. Most legislators attended, while a few were absent. Some raised concerns that they could not meet him often and that officials were not cooperating, attendees said.

The gathering followed allegations involving Deputy Speaker and TVK MLA M. Ravisankar and Kallakurichi MLA C. Arul Vignesh. Karthik Kumar, a resident who said he approached Ravisankar about local civic problems, alleged that the legislator assaulted him. Kumar also said he was pressured to record a video denying the assault. The allegations have not been independently established in the reports.

Vignesh faced a separate allegation concerning...