TN CM calls on Governor, apprises him of Tuticorin situation

Deputy CM O Paneerselvam and Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar along with DGP TK Rajendran and Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan were present during the CM’s 30-minute meeting with the Governor.

Sources said Purohit wanted to know whether the government would be able to tackle the situation or the assistance of central forces should be sought. The Governor also sought to know about the action taken and the extent of damage of vehicles and other assets of the public and as well as the government.

Sources said Purohit would examine the reports furnished by the state government and would add his own notes to the dossier before sending it to the Centre.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) too has taken suo motu cognizance of the incident and has sought a report from the state.

Purohit, whose vacation schedule extends up to June 2, had cut it short following the firing incidents and had left the Nilgiris in the afternoon and reached here by late evening.

A similar report was sought by the Governor earlier in April when a series of protests were held in different districts across the state demanding the setting up of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB).

Minister sees conspiracy

Revenue Minister RB Udhayakumar on Wednesday alleged a conspiracy behind the police firing targeting the anti-Sterlite protesters. He said there were indications that innocent people were forced to protest when the state has already taken a policy decision against the Sterlite plant, and that he suspected it could be the handiwork of rival parties who couldn’t stomach the rise of currency for Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

“The Edappadi regime has successfully tackled as many as 20,000 protests since Palaniswami became Chief Minister and there was no incident of violence,” he said.

“Now, this government is people friendly.... The CM is keen on solving all the problems escalated through protests. In the Sterlite issue, we had taken a policy decision in 2013 and we have stuck to it reflecting the people’s sentiments. At this juncture, such violent protests would only set a wrong precedent,” he said.