TN opposition parties slam crackdown on Jacto-Geo protest, Stalin sees sign of ‘police raj’

CHENNAI: Opposition parties DMK, Congress, PMK and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam condemned the police crackdown on agitating Tamil Nadu government employees and teachers who attempted to march towards the Secretariat here on Tuesday morning to lay siege to it.
READ ALSO: Chennai police foil Jacto-Geo members' attempt to stage protest outside Secretariat

The state government employees and government teachers, under the banner of the Joint Action committee of Teachers Organisations and Government Employees Organisations (JACTO-GEO), were demanding payment of 21-month arrears after Tamil Nadu implemented the 7th Pay Commission recommendations. They also wanted the old pension scheme to be reintroduced.

DMK working president M K Stalin termed the crackdown on the state government employees and teachers as a sign of “police raj.”

“Though they had given notice on their agitation and protest plans, the state government did very little and failed to even invite them for talks. Instead, it is now cracking down on them through preventive arrests and taking into custody those participating in protest marches across the state. Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami should immediately hold talks with JACTO – GEO representatives and find an amicable solution by this evening. Those taken into custody should be immediately released,” Stalin said in a statement.

TNCC president S Thirunavukkarasar appealed to the state government to immediately resolve the issue by inviting the office-bearers of the JACTO-GEO.

“They have been agitating to press for their demands. Instead of inviting them for talks, this government has let the police swoop down on them by way of preventive arrests. Those who protested on Tuesday too were arrested. I appeal to the state government to immediately release all those arrested and initiate talks to resolve their issues,” Thirunavukkarasar said in a statement.

PMK youth wing president Anbumani Ramadoss said the protest march had much more vigour and was successful because of the police highhandedness in taking representatives of the JACTO-GEO into preventive arrests. “The state government should immediately release all those arrested and find amicable ways to resolve this issue,” he said in a statement.

AMMK deputy general secretary T T V Dhinakaran said government employees and teachers were forced to take to the streets to agitate because their rightful demands were not heeded by the Tamil Nadu government.

“Understanding their demands, former chief minister J Jayalalithaa had even formed an expert team to look at the feasibility of agreeing to the demand of the employees to reintroduce the old pension scheme. The present government has not only ignored it that but also cared less on the protest notice that the government employees had given. This has resulted in the protests spreading across the state,” he said.