DMK chief terms it politically motivated

Accusing the state government of not extending cooperation to Pon Manickavel and team in the investigations despite the HC passing 20 orders in the case since July 2017, Stalin recalled the assurance Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had given in the recently concluded Assembly session and said there was a mystery behind the government submitting in the HC that it does not have faith in the officer and no progress has been achieved in the case probe for a year. 

“When I raised the issue in the Assembly, the Chief Minister replied that the government is giving all type of support to Pon Manickavel. When we demanded CBI probe into various other scams, the government refused. Why in this case the government wants to transfer the cases hurriedly to the CBI,” he asked.

“Is the arrest of HR&CE Joint Commissioner Kavitha by Pon Manickavel, who has been honestly investigating the case, has anything to do with this,” he questioned. 

Initially, the government hesitated to post Pon Manickavel in the idol wing and subsequently refused to appoint required number of officers to assist him and the DGP insisted on him sharing the crucial details of the HC monitored case before encouraging the commissioner of HR&CE Department to level allegations against him, Stalin alleged, adding that the government sponsored “non-cooperation movement” of HR & CE Dept was a major hurdle in the case investigation.

Referring to the condemnations received by the chief secretary four times from the HC for repeatedly violating court orders in the case, the DMK working president wondered why the government did not obey the court orders. Stalin urged the government to cooperate with the probe and retrieve the idols stolen from the state.