Hope DMK accepts abrogation of Art 370 in Kashmir: TN Minister


Chennai: Tamilnadu Minister for Handlooms and Textiles O S Manian has criticised DMK president M K Stalin for the ‘confused’ statements on the abrogation of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir.

The Minister today said Stalin was making contradictory statements about the protest the party organised in Delhi 22 August on the Kashmir issue.

Recalling a funny line from a Tamil movie, Manian said Stalin is acting like all this is ‘common in politics’ (arasiyalil ithellam sagajamappa).

Opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress joined DMK’s Delhi protest, seeking the release of political leaders under detention in Jammu and Kashmir.

Congress leader P Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram also joined the protest at Jantar Mantar. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary D Raja, SP leader Ramgopal Yadav, Loktantrik Janata Dal’s Sharad Yadav, RJD’s Manoj Jha and TMC’s Dinesh Trivedi joined the protest.

The leaders raised slogans demanding the restoration of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, resumption of telecom services in the Valley and immediate release of all detained political leaders.

The National Conference, whose leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah are among those detained after the Centre revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status 5 August, was represented.

Radio Pakistan picked up the news of the DMK protest and started highlighting the issue which made the party go on the backfoot and state that it was a protest for the release of leaders detained in J&K.

‘I hope the DMK accepts the abrogation of special status to Kashmir,’ Minister Manian said today.