CM silent on Guv’s ‘excesses’ fearing CBI, says DMK

Launching a no holds barred attack against the Governor and ruling AIADMK on the issue, Stalin, who along with his cadre was arrested for attempting to march towards the Raj Bhavan from Saidapet on Saturday morning, said, “If the ruling AIADMK oppose (the reviews of the Governor), corruptions of Chief Minister Palaniswami, his deputy and ministers would be exposed. They are mired in a host of cases like I-T, gutkha and a few other cases probed by the CBI. 

Opposing the reviews would land them in prison. Hence, they are mum on the excesses of the Centre and the Governor.”  DMK cadre led by Stalin launched the latest offensive against Raj Bhavan after several of the party men were remanded for waving black flags at the Governor on Friday in Namakkal where he had conducted another review. 

Calling Purohit “an agent of the Centre,” Stalin, addressing cadre before his release from the YMCA ground later in the evening, said the DMK cadre were arrested in Namakkal on Friday at the behest of the Governor. Threatening to intensify the agitations against the Governor for jeopardising the autonomy of the state, Stalin recalled similar black flag protests his party had organised from the days of Nehru to most recently Narendra Modi.

 He said, “If you (Banwarilal Purohit) want to be the Chief Minister, replace the AIADMK leadership and occupy the CMO. We will face you directly. We are ready for it. But, if you dream about capturing power through backdoor by exploiting this regime, we will fight it tooth and nail. Blocking your backdoor moves will be our prime agenda.” Cautioning that they might march towards Raj Bhavan even now, Stalin clarified that they did not organise the rally demanding the release of cadre arrested in Namakkal or at Chennai on Saturday morning, but to expose the oppression of the AIADMK regime, which was being submissive to the BJP-led Centre.