DMK’s Stalin demands Tamil Nadu governor’s resignation for ‘challenging state’s autonomy’

DMK working president MK Stalin on Saturday demanded the resignation of Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit after he was detained for attempting to lay siege at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai.

The DMK leader was detained along with other party leaders for protesting against alleged interference of Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit in the functioning of the state administration.

The party leaders and workers had taken out a rally at 10am to protest the arrest of 192 DMK workers who had greeted the governor with black flags in Namakkal on Friday, but were stopped by the police near Saidapet court building. Following this, the DMK leader staged a sit-in protest in Sardar Vallabhai Patel Road for nearly an hour.

“DMK opposes the frequent review meetings of the governor as it is challenging the state’s autonomy. Therefore, our party workers are showing black flags to the governor when he goes for such meetings,” Stalin told the protesters and condemned the arrest of party workers.

The DMK leader pointed out that his party had shown black flags to former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, but the party workers were never arrested for doing so.

He also criticised chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam for not raising any objections over the governor’s review meetings.

“The CM and deputy CM are following the directions of BJP. So they are not able to stop the governor from visiting districts to hold review meetings,” Stalin alleged.

Former Union minister A Raja, eight other DMK MLAs and 400 party workers were detained along with Stalin by the Guindy police as they staged the sit-in protest.

Guindy inspector of police N S Kumar said, “The DMK leaders were held up for launching a rally without proper permission and also for staging a protest in the public place.”

The DMK leaders and workers were later released around 6pm.

EVKS Ilangovan, former union minister and former TN Pradesh Congress committee president called on Stalin and extended his support while the latter was kept in detention

In the wake of the arrest of Stalin and other leaders, party workers staged road blockades and sit-in protests in various parts of the state. DMK’s Salem unit workers led by district secretary S R Sivalingam staged a roadblock in front of the collector’s office, and were arrested.