Don’t link BJP to attack: Tamilisai

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the state committee meeting of the party held here on Thursday, she said that DMK working president MK Stalin has been making several false allegations against the BJPled Central government. 

Referring to Stalin’s Wednesday speech during an agitation against the new rules for cattle trade where he warned of a repeat of Marina protests, if the Centre failed to withdraw the regulations, she said that the possibility for such an agitation again was remote.

Tamilisai said that the regulations on sale of cattle in markets for slaughtering purpose clearly stated that the ban was only to prevent unlicensed slaughterhouses, whereas there was no reference to beef sale, which was still permitted across the country by licensed slaughterhouses. She also flayed use of raw beef at protest venues and termed it as a ‘barbaric’ act. The state leader of the BJP also criticised some forces and leaders linking her party with persons, who assaulted the PhD scholar on the IIT-M campus. 

Among other things, Tamilisai said that the Making of Developed India (MODI) festival would be held in various districts across the state from June 9. The campaigns were aimed at highlighting the achievements and initiatives of the Central government in the last three years to boost the growth prospects of the country. A special farmers programme in Tiruchy district would be held on June 11 to publicise the schemes for farmers and initiatives to improve agriculture by BJP-led NDA government. The programme scheduled at Tiruchy is expected to be presided by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, she said. 

Union Ministers, including M Venkaiah Naidu, Pon Radhakrishnan and Nitin Gadkari, were likely to address the public and explain the benefits of the various central government schemes during these campaigns, Tamilisai added.

As many as 54 members of Makkal Adhikaram, including 12 women, were detained by the police on Thursday after they attempted to conduct a beef festival at the Central Bus Stand in Tiruchy. The activists also attempted to serve cooked beef to register their protest against the recent assault on a research scholar of IIT Madras. 

“It is every individual’s choice to eat what they like and the Central Government cannot indirectly impose restrictions by laying new rules tightening the cattle trade. The recent regulations on cattle trade will also cause loss for 80 crore farmers across the country who are depending on livestock rearing,” the protesters claimed. 

Around 11.30 am, police personnel inspected the belongings of the protesters and found that they were carrying cooked beef,w which was meant for distribution. Subsequently they were arrested. The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has granted an interim stay on the Centre’s order regulating cattle trade.