DMK holds statewide agitation condemning CM Vijay's remarks against party stalwarts

CHENNAI: The main opposition DMK on Saturday (September 12) staged protest across the state condemning Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay for his alleged "scurrilous remarks" targeting late party patriarch M Karunanidhi and party president MK Stalin.

Senior leader PK Sekar Babu, leading the protest here, praised Stalin for his "sacrifices, personality, and for being humane," and also lauded him as "Mr Clean," who followed ethics and values.

Such an unblemished leader was targeted in the Assembly by the TVK-led government and DMK objected to Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar's claims vis-a-vis Stalin's incarceration during the infamous Emergency (1975-77), he said.

Babu dismissed CM Vijay's recent allegations of corruption during the DMK regimes led by Karunanidhi and Stalin as mere "cinema style dialogues delivered for about an hour," in the Assembly.

Though the DMK objected to such allegations in the House, permission was not granted for Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin to refute them, he claimed, adding, "The DMK is an injured tiger that is standing in the field and one day, everything will be paid back in the same coin."

The DMK had days ago said that Vijay's speech in the Assembly was strongly condemnable as it trivialised the party, five-time chief minister Karunanidhi, late union minister Murasoli Maran and the sacrifices of party chief Stalin.

A combative Vijay targeted the DMK in the Assembly on September 7 for alleged serious, organised corruption during its previous regimes.

Vijay relied on the Sarkaria Commission report to target the DMK government led by Karunanidhi decades ago. The CM had made a reference to Maran as well in this connection.

The CM cited ED's official documents shared with the state government over alleged corruption during DMK's 2021-26 regime and named then CM Stalin and his deputy Udhayanidhi in this regard.

According to Law Minister Nirmal Kumar, there was no official record to indicate that Stalin's detention during the Emergency was under the MISA. The minister had indicated that Stalin was arrested following remarks on late PM Indira Gandhi and her 20-point programme, which was announced following proclamation of Emergency, by the then Congress-led government at the Centre.

Meanwhile, Kumar on Saturday challenged Stalin to produce his official detention order copy, disputing the long-standing Dravidian party's claim that the former chief minister was imprisoned under MISA during the Emergency.

In Tiruchirappalli, former DMK Minister Anbil Mahesh alleged that CM Vijay's "speech and looks" reminded one of Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany, and some ministers also followed the toolkit of Joseph Goebbels in peddling lies.

Senior leader A Raja, leading a demonstration here, rejected allegations levelled by the TVK regime and used strong words to condemn the ruling party and the chief minister.

The former union minister objected to Kumar's comment questioning Stalin's detention under the MISA and slammed him for questioning the integrity of his leader.

Raja then launched an abrasive personal attack on Kumar and dared him to file a case. He recalled his Parliament speech in the past on the alleged torture endured by Stalin during the Emergency in jail and underlined that the DMK chief had then been imprisoned under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act.

When he made that statement, none of the leaders in the House, including those from the BJP doubted it. "Did anyone claim that it was a flase claim," he asked.

Raja also made a scathing attack on CM Vijay for his "jaw crushing" hand gesture and asked if he joined politics to shake his "hand and leg." He said the CM had no answers to any one of the questions posed by his party.

In the agitations held by the DMK, slogans were raised asking if the State Assembly was a "film shooting spot" for the TVK government and slammed Vijay asking him to "not deceive the people."

"Do not stick to diversion tactics, answer people's questions, the Assembly is not a cinema hall to deliver dialogues and perform action sequences, open your mouth CM Sir," were among the other slogans raised.

Strongly reacting to the statewide protest, TVK slammed the DMK leaders for speeches made with "vengeance, in a vulgar manner without dignity."

In a statement, the TVK hit out at DMK office-bearers for forgetting party founder CN Annadurai's principles of "duty, dignity, and discipline."

The TVK IT Wing said: "The corrupt slaves of Arivalayam (DMK headquarters) who carry in their hearts the evil force's principle of corruption, exploitation, and bribery will find the honest rule of the pure force (TVK) as bitter."

The past fake historical chapters of the evil force has been "exposed page by page" and no matter how furiously they scream or how loudly they wail, the evil forces can no longer win the hearts of the people. It is certain that the people are going to teach the evil forces a lesson once again.

Bypolls to two Assembly constituencies are scheduled to be held next month.

The ruling party also referred to Kumar's challenge asking "where is the detention copy" and castigated the DMK once again for peddling what it called fake narratives.