Protest curb order withdrawal doesn't convince Left parties, PMK

CHENNAI: The State government's decision to withdraw a controversial order seeking to prevent college students from joining protests has failed to quell criticism, with the CPI, CPM and PMK on Wednesday questioning the legality of the directive and accusing the government of adopting double standards on students' right to protest.

CPI state secretary M Veerapandian demanded action against those responsible for the order directing government arts and science colleges to coordinate with police and district administration to stop students from participating in protests organised by Left parties and the Tamil Nadu Cockroach Janata Party.

He said the directive was an attack on constitutional rights and appeared to follow the recent Gujiliamparai tahsildar's order seeking a list of CPI and CPM members with their addresses. Though the orders were withdrawn, those responsible should face departmental action, he said.

CPM Madurai MP Su Venkatesan questioned the legal basis of the college education department's order and demanded that the government explain what action would be taken against those who issued it. "There cannot be one standard for a tahsildar and another for a government secretary," he said in a post tagging Chief Minister Vijay.

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss accused the government of hypocrisy, pointing out that education minister Rajmohan had participated in a student protest against NEET at the CPI office in T Nagar and backed the right to protest.

"On one hand, the minister himself expresses support for protests. On the other hand, the government is preventing students from participating in protests. What kind of double standard is this?" Anbumani asked.

TNCC president B Manickam Tagore on Wednesday welcomed the action taken by the district administration against the Gujiliamparai tahsildar for attempting to collect information on Left party members. He said the tahsildar's move to gather information on Left activists functioning democratically was shocking. He said monitoring members of the Congress's allied parties who were openly working among the people was an unacceptable overreach.