AIADMK protest against arrest of former minister

TIRUNELVELI

Condemning the recent arrest of former minister D. Jayakumar, the AIADMK cadre staged demonstration in front of Tirunelveli Railway Junction on Monday.

 Tirunelveli district secretary of the party N. Ganesa Raja, who led the agitation, said Mr. Jayakumar, who protected democracy by preventing the DMK cadre from casting bogus vote during the recently held urban civic polls, had been arrested by the Tamil Nadu Government. Moreover, the ruling DMK unleashed “unprecedented violence” during the urban local body elections and had foisted fake cases against Mr. Jayakumar and others.

 “The Stalin-led government’s efforts to crush the voices being raised by the AIADMK to save democracy will never succeed. Instead, it will only strengthen the AIADMK’s resolve to fight against DMK government’s injustice and anti-democratic attitude,” Mr. Ganesa Raja said.

 In the agitation organized in Thoothukudi, former ministers Kadambur C. Raju and S.P. Shanmuganathan, former MP Jayasingh Thiyagaraj Nattarji, former Mayor Antony Grace and others participated.

 Speaking to reporters at the protest venue, Mr. Raju said Mr. Stalin, by ordering the arrest of Mr. Jayakumar, was protecting the person who had indulged in bogus voting.

 Replying to a question on the party’s leadership, he said the AIADMK was performing well under the dual leadership of former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and his deputy O. Panneerselvam. “However, only time will tell in future if the party is in need of single leadership,” he said.