OPS group plans protest on Aug 1

CHENNAI: Expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam’s camp on Tuesday said it would hold a state-wide protest on August 1 to urge the DMK regime to expedite probe in the 2017 Kodanad heist-cum-murder case and punish the perpetrators of the crime. The protest is also to condemn the DMK government for ‘sleeping’ over the case without giving additional attention and importance, former AIADMK leader and OPS loyalist R Vaithilingam told reporters here.

To a question related to suspicions if any, Vaithilingam said, “It may be X or Y, those who did that should be brought to book...it is the job of the police department to find out the culprits.” Panneerselvam, when asked about suspicions, also said it was the police department’s responsibility to ‘probe in-depth’ and find out the culprits behind the crime.

“Only to stress this we are going to hold a (state-wide) protest...the government is also silent.” Meanwhile, the AIADMK hit back at the OPS camp. AIADMK senior leader D Jayakumar alleged the DMK regime had an evil motive, as regards the Kodanad case, to bring disrepute to his party. Only to support such a motive, the OPS camp has taken up this issue and they were the DMK’s B-team, he claimed.

The DMK regime’s ulterior motive was to blemish the reputation of the AIADMK and party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, which showed the ruling party’s political vendetta, he alleged. The AIADMK would not be cowed down by such ‘tricks’ of the DMK regime, which was aimed at intimidating the party, he said.