Chennai, Aug 20:
Forced to eat a humble pie in the face of a massive backlash, the nascent Vijay government on Wednesday rolled back within 48 hours a circular directing heads of educational institutions to join hands with the respective District Administrations to prevent students from participating in protests organised the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and Left Parties.
The circular, issued by the Joint-Director of Collegiate Education to all principals of Government Arts and Science Colleges on Monday, has elicited strong condemnation from the Left Parties and the PMK and Saurav Das, co-convenor of the (CJP), besides pro-Tamil outfits among others. There was an online backlash. The communication was issued as urgent for coordinated action to stop students from joining the protests.
Interestingly this comes close on the heels of a Tahsildar issuing an order to lower-rung Revenue authorities to collect details of the members of the Left Parties in Gujiliamparai Taluk in Karur district, being transferred. Left parties fumed at this since both the CPI and CPI(M) are extending the crucial outside support to the Vijay government, which lacks the majority. Even the main opposition DMK and PMK, an ally of the AIADMK, condemned it and demanded action against the Tahsildar.
The directive/circular had been withdrawn, but it had stirred up a hornet’s nest, raising questions over the Vijay Government’s hold on the administration.
While Saurav Das and PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss condemned the circular as unconstitutional, the rationalist Dravidar Kazhagam, mentor of the Dravidian parties, Pro-Tamil parties and Left activists questioned under whose directive it was issued. Anbumani and nonagenarian DK president K Veeramni took the TVK government to taks, asking whether the Left Parties were banned.
During the CJP’s Jantar Mantar protest against NEET Leak scandal, the Left Parties were in the forefront of organising demonstrations and sit-ins across Tamil Nadu, while the police was accused of acting in a highhanded manner to contain them. The CPI headquarters, Balan Illam, and the MDMK headquarters ‘Thayagam’ were the venues for the protests for days together.