Frustrated DMK resorted to violence, accuses Jayakumar

“Stalin has taken up this issue since his attempt to force the Centre’s hand to invoke Article 356 of Constitution to dismiss the government by causing pandemonium in the Assembly and every other attempt had failed miserably,” the Minister said. 

He charged that the DMK protest had caused a great deal of inconvenience and damage to public property besides injuring a few including police personnel. Taking a jibe at the DMK over stoning incidents, the Minister said the party had gone back to ‘stone age.’ “The state would allow all democratic protests but not those that disrupt normalcy like that of the DMK’s,” the Minister said. 

He said the government would oppose the Centre’s ‘Clarification’ petition which is listed before the Supreme Court on April 9 and pursue the Contempt plea. “It should have filed the petition on February 17 not after the six week deadline,” he noted. 

On exerting pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to visit Chennai next week, the Minster maintained that the AIADMK regime had pressed the PM when he was here during the launch of Amma two-wheeler scheme. Observing the role of AIADMK MPs stalling the Parliament, the Minister said the AIADMK government would continue to pressurise the Centre in all possible ways. 

While Jayakumar dismissed the Governor’s meeting as routine and Constitutional, he refused to accept the parallel to be drawn from Puducherry Governor who had shot-off a letter to Modi to form Cauvery Management Board (CMB). 

Responding to Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan’s remarks that the Minister providing publicity for the former-actor, Jayakumar said Kamal is still an apprentice in politics who needs to study the water issues and the role of the AIADMK in asserting the rights of the same.