J Jayalalithaa and O Panneerselvam at Tamil Nadu.
J Jayalalithaa and O Panneerselvam.IANS

O Panneerselvam may be the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, but the state is being run by AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, according to a statement made by him in the state assembly. 

In response to CPM leader A Soundararajan's charge that the state's law and order has deteriorated over time, Panneerselvam said,  "The governmentof the day, functioning under Jayalalithaa's leadership, was a perfect example of a good administration."

"Crimes committed by people owing to personal vengeance and family disputes could not be cited to claim deterioration of law and order, he said. Only when the government fails to act against those who break the law, can one level charges of failure of administration," he added.

Though released on bail, Jayalalithaa has been disqualified as an MLA and had to quit as the state CM after the Karnataka High Court convicted her in the ₹66 crore disproportionate assets case earlier this year.

However, she is still the CM for the people of Tamil Nadu, said Panneerselvam. In the assembly, he repeatedly referred to Jayalalithaa as the chief minister, The Times of India reported.

Pannerselvam has neither taken Jayalalithaa's seat in the assembly nor occupied her office yet.