Swaraj India Party leader Yogendra Yadav on Monday dubbed Tamil Nadu a “police State” run by a “puppet government.”
Addressing journalists in Chennai after meeting farmers who would be affected by the proposed Salem-Chennai expressway, he said, “It is quite clear that a puppet government is using the police as a private army for the benefit of some contractors and some corporates, and not in the public interest.”
Mr. Yadav said that during his time as an activist, he had never been prevented from speaking to farmers.
He described the State government as being “very nervous” about the project and alleged that the Chief Minister’s Office kept calling the police officers who had detained him two days ago “every 10 minutes” for updates. “It appears that what we have in Tamil Nadu is a puppet state. Puppet being run by who? You would know that,” he said.
‘Follow rule of law’
Mr. Yadav urged the State government to follow the rule of law, ensure transparency, consult with the people who would be affected by the project and allow democratic debate. He asked bureaucrats to do their duty instead of taking sides.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Yadav met Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president Kamal Haasan at the latter’s party office in Chennai. A press release from the MNM quoted Mr. Yadav as saying that the party’s role in Indian politics was going to be indispensable.