Taking exception to the AIADMK government’s decision to unveil a portrait of its late leader and former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Hall, Opposition parties led by the DMK on Sunday announced that they would boycott the function on Monday.
Contending that Jayalalithaa was the prime accused in the disproportionate assets case in which the Supreme Court convicted all the accused (after her death), DMK working president M.K. Stalin said it would set a bad precedent as she was convicted in the case. Mr. Stalin told journalists that unveiling a portrait of a person who had been convicted by the Supreme Court was against law.
Read: Jayalalithaa, Sasikala criminally conspired at Poes Garden to launder ill-gotten wealth, says SC | Full text of the Supreme Court verdict
“It is a black move and I condemn it on behalf of the DMK. Already, a petition filed by our party MLA J. Anbazhagan against keeping the portrait of Jayalalithaa [in the Assembly] is pending before the court. Since the case will be taken up for hearing, the government has organised the event in a hurried manner before 9.30 a.m.,” he alleged.
DMK MLA J. Anbazhagan submitted a representation to the office of the Speaker and Assembly Secretary on Sunday opposing the move.
