'Silent emergency': TN BJP on cases against Murugan devotees meet participants

Chennai, July 2 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday accused the ruling DMK government of imposing a “silent emergency” in the state, following police action against participants of the Murugan Devotees’ Conference held in Madurai last month.

BJP spokesperson A.N.S. Prasad strongly condemned the filing of police cases against several leaders, including Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran, former party chief K. Annamalai, and Hindu Munnani leader Kadeswara Subramanian.

The cases were registered in connection with their participation in the June 22nd devotional gathering, which saw the attendance of over 5 lakh devotees.

Prasad questioned the rationale behind the police action, stating that the event was conducted in an exceptionally peaceful and disciplined manner.

“Even critics of the BJP in the media had to acknowledge the flawless organisation of the event. There were no law-and-order issues, no traffic disruptions, and no reports of public inconvenience. Devotees even cleaned the venue themselves after the event,” he said.

He alleged that the DMK government had remained silent for 10 days before launching a politically motivated crackdown aimed at appeasing minority vote banks, using the pretext of “external instigation.”

Prasad said the state’s law and order situation had deteriorated drastically under Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s leadership.

“There is growing fear that Tamil Nadu is descending into lawlessness, where the police act like gangs of thugs. Even the DMK’s own MLA, Inigo Irudayaraj, has publicly stated that ‘police turned into beasts’ and beat temple guard Ajithkumar to death.”

The alleged custodial death of Ajithkumar in Sivaganga district has further fuelled criticism of the government. Initially, the state attempted to downplay the incident, but video footage of the police assault and scathing remarks from the Madras High Court forced a CBI inquiry.

“The DMK government’s response has been mere theatrics - with a minister sent for damage control and the Chief Minister making a staged phone call to the victim’s family,” said Prasad.

The BJP also slammed the DMK for what it called “anti-Hindu” actions and rhetoric. Prasad pointed to recent remarks by DMK Deputy General Secretary and former Union Minister A. Raja, who allegedly used derogatory language against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Protests against Raja erupted across the state, and during one such demonstration at Chepauk in Chennai, BJP State Vice President Narayanan Thirupathi was allegedly manhandled and arrested.

The BJP also accused the police of brutality against women protestors, alleging multiple human rights violations.

“Since Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed the AIADMK-BJP alliance and visited Tamil Nadu twice, the DMK has lost its peace of mind,” said Prasad.

“Fearing defeat in the upcoming Assembly elections, the ruling party has resorted to suppressive tactics and widespread intimidation,” he added.

The BJP has demanded that the state government immediately withdraw what it calls “false cases” and restore democratic norms.

“The people of Tamil Nadu are watching. In this age of social media, truth cannot be hidden. The consequences of this authoritarianism will soon be reflected in the ballot boxes,” Prasad warned.

--IANS

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