State parties also join anti-CAB protest

DMK’s youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin and hundreds of party workers were detained on Friday when they tried to stage a protest demonstration against the CAB.Scores of DMK workers, led by Udhayanidhi, gathered at a junction in Saidapet and also tried to stage a road blockade. During the protest, DMK functionaries tore copies of the bill and shouted slogans against the Centre to immediately withdraw the Act.When the protesters attempted to take out a procession, there were detained by the police and taken to a nearby marriage hall.The protest affected traffic in Saidapet for about two hours. Speaking to the reporters, Udhayanidhi said that the protest will continue till the Act is withdrawn.

However, political commentators feel that the CAB will be just a political stunt in Tamil Nadu and the protests will fade away when the parties start campaigning for local body polls.

“The current crop of leaders in Tamil Nadu do not understand the effects of such a bill. The politics is restricted to political statements followed by name sake agitations that prolong for about an hour,” says former Harbour MLA Pazha Karuppiah, who recently quit the DMK.

Condemning the Centre for mooting the bill against Muslim’s, Karuppiah said that the DMK and Left parties should have joined the protest much earlier. “I welcome the protests announced by the DMK, Left and the VCK, but they should have done it even before the Bill was passed in Parliament,” Karuppiah said.

To a query that TN is silent on the issue when compared to north east, the seasoned politician explained that there is no direct threat to the Muslim’s residing here, but this draconian act like Kashmir will dismantle the secular fabric of this country. Further CAB is direct assault on Indian Constitution which is above caste and religious systems, the former MLA added.

The DMK has registered its protest and voted against the CAB. The AIADMK has expressed its support and has voted in favour. The Bill will be just a discussion as Lankan Tamil issue is associated with it, said an AIADMK MLA. There is no vote bank on this issue and the minorities will certainly vote against the BJP for imposing the Bill and this will be just another protest by the opposition parties led by DMK, the legislator added.