DMK plans non-stop protests till fall of government

After meeting the arrested party agitators, who attempted to besiege the DGP office over alleged gutkha scam, Stalin demanded that DGP Rajendran and Health Minister Vijaya Baskar, whose names cropped up in the gutkha scam, resign immediately.

To a question, Stalin said, “Even as the Health Minister claimed that his hands are clean, we do not want to fault him. But, the Income Tax department has filed a case against him in the multi-crore gutkha scam and he should reply.”

Recalling that DMK Chief M Karunanidhi asked former union ministers A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran to resign immediately after cases were filed against them, Stalin said, “Similarly, Vijaya Baskar, after resigning, can face CBI inquiry and prove his innocence, after which, he can become a Minister.”

Stalin blamed the government for supporting the Minister and the police officer. “The state government should have suspended the DGP, instead it extended his term. This bears testimony to the fact that a cut goes to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami,” accused Stalin.

To another question, the DMK leader said, “We are staging protests and the Minister will soon be put behind the bars.”

Earlier, around 500 DMK cadre gathered in front of the DGP office on the Kamarajar Salai and shouted slogans demanding resignation of DGP TK Rajendran, after Madras High Court directed for a CBI probe into the alleged gutkha scam in which his name cropped up. 

Later, police arrested around 400 DMK party workers, including 50 women, as they tried to breach the security and enter into the premises of the DGP office. They were later released.