AIADMK, BJP Demand Stalin’s Intervention as Omni Bus Strike Cripples Inter-State Travel
Opposition demands talks to end interstate travel crisis.
Tamil Nadu's principal opposition parties, AIADMK and BJP, have launched a blistering joint offensive against the ruling DMK government, demanding immediate high-level negotiations with omni bus operators to terminate a week-long strike that has paralyzed inter-state travel, stranding thousands of passengers and exposing deep fissures in regional transport harmony.
AIADMK supremo and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami issued a fiery statement highlighting the acute hardships faced by Tamil Nadu residents unable to commute to neighboring states for work, medical emergencies, or family obligations, as hundreds of private omni buses remain off roads in protest against what operators claim are exorbitant and retaliatory fines imposed by authorities in Kerala and Karnataka—states governed by DMK's own INDIA bloc allies.
Palaniswami accused the DMK regime of deliberate inaction and procrastination, urging Chief Minister MK Stalin to convene urgent talks with the Omni Bus Owners Association to broker an amicable resolution that restores seamless connectivity, warning that further delays would only compound public suffering and tarnish the government's image as a custodian of people's welfare.
Also Read: Expelled Leader Sengottaiyan Alleges Family Dominance in AIADMK Leadership
BJP's former Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai escalated the attack by pinpointing the root cause in the DMK government's "greedy" imposition of steep additional road taxes on out-of-state vehicles, which he said triggered a tit-for-tat crackdown—resulting in nearly 100 Tamil Nadu-registered omni buses being slapped with fines totaling Rs 2 crore in Kerala and Karnataka within a single week—forcing operators to suspend operations entirely.
Annamalai lambasted Stalin for allegedly prioritizing the interests of his national alliance partners over Tamil Nadu's citizens, portraying the Chief Minister as sacrificing local commuters on the altar of political expediency, and called for direct government-to-government dialogue with Kerala and Karnataka to scrap mutual penalties and revive the vital lifeline of private inter-state bus services before the crisis spirals into a full-blown transport emergency.
Also Read: Day 1 of SIR in Tamil Nadu: DMK and AIADMK Trade Charges Over Voter Enumeration Forms
