CHENNAI: The state government on Thursday revoked its order permitting religious congregations, social, political, cultural, academic and other functions from November 16.
The ban would remain until further orders. BJP state president L Murugan accused the ruling party of bias and vowed to resume the ‘vetrivel yatra’, that would include Union ministers and senior party functionaries, from November 17. Law minister C Ve Shanmugam said his government nursed no animosity towards the BJP, its ally. Later in the evening, Murugan called on chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and deputy O Panneerselvam. Both the AIADMK and the BJP dubbed it a ‘courtesy visit’ ahead of Diwali.
An October 31 order issued under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, had permitted gatherings attended by not more than 100 people from November 16. “The permission is now revoked. The ban will remain until further orders,” said a government release. The ban on religious congregations and political events comes close on the heels of the BJP and the state government clashing in the Madras high court over the BJP’s ‘vetrivel yatra’, a rally to be taken to six big temples of the deity Murugan. The government denied permission for the yatra citing Covid-19.
BJP chief Murugan on Thursday accused the ruling AIADMK of overlooking the violations of the DMK, the Congress and others when they held demonstrations. “BJP functionaries and office bearers engaged in other work are also taken into preventive detention which is unjustified and unacceptable,” Murugan said, revealing his party’s plan to continue the yatra no matter what obstacle came their way. Union ministers D V Sadananda Gowda and V Muraleedharan, Karnataka BJP spokesperson Malavika Avinash, BJP Yuva Morcha chief Tejaswi Surya, national general secretary Daggubati Purandeswari among others will participate in the yatra. BJP national president J P Nadda has also been invited to the rally.
Murugan alleged there was an “understanding” between the principal Dravidian parties to checkmate the BJP in TN. C Ve Shanmugam pointed out that the AIADMK was founded “only to rid the evil force that is the DMK and it would remain an arch-rival”. The government was only taking precautions since the pandemic has been brought under control, he said. “The government has no animosity towards the BJP or any other party. It treated every party equally and filed cases against all leaders who violated rules, including DMK president M K Stalin, MP Kanimozhi and VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan,” the minister told TOI. He said the law would take its course if the BJP continued to be defiant.