Chennai, Oct 29:
DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi on Wednesday accused the TVK government of failing to maintain law and order in Tamil Nadu, alleging that women and children were unsafe and prisoners were escaping from jails.
Speaking to reporters at Anna Arivalayam, he said Tamil Nadu had ranked among the top States in several sectors under the previous DMK government and received more than 10 awards from the Centre despite political differences. He alleged that Chief Minister Vijay had failed to take action despite the deteriorating law and order situation.
On former minister Anbil Mahesh’s arrest, Bharathi questioned the manner in which the police detained him while he was meeting a lawyer to discuss an appeal before the Supreme Court after his bail plea was rejected. He urged the higher judiciary to examine the police action.
Referring to searches at former minister KN Nehru’s residence, he said raids and arrests were attempts to divert attention and that the DMK had faced similar cases since 1976. He announced that the party’s women’s wing would hold a protest on Saturday.
Bharathi alleged that the action against DMK leaders was politically motivated ahead of the expected Tiruchy East by-election, claiming that the government wanted to disrupt their election preparations.
He also criticised the arrest and subsequent release of economist Kalaiyarasan over a social media post, alleging selective police action. While action was taken against Kalaiyarasan over a disputed post, complaints against the TVK IT wing for allegedly making objectionable posts about DMK leaders MK Stalin and Kanimozhi had not been acted upon, he claimed.
Bharathi further demanded an investigation into alleged corruption of Rs 100 crore in connection with the Palani temple issue, alleging that the prime accused had been taken away alive but returned dead.