Chennai: The DMK president MK Stalin on Wednesday lauded the elderly couple of Tirunelveli for putting up a brave fight against two masked-armed robbers who tried to strangle the 70-year-old man and fled with his wife’s gold thali late Sunday night.
While heaping praise on the brave couple, the DMK chief could not resist taking a political potshot at the government by saying the incident proved two painful facts-the crime graph in Tamil Nadu is on an upward swing, and, the citizens will have to fend for themselves.
“Congratulations to the Shanmugavel-Senthamarai couple of Nellai’s Kalyanipuram for bravely chasing away the robbers. The brave act of the elderly couple only demonstrates that people have to fend for themselves as they cannot expect protection from this government even as the crime rate has gone up”, said the DMK chief in a statement.
His jibe only got many people to wonder why Stalin should seek political mileage from even the bravery of this elder couple, who had chosen to live in a secluded area far from the village and thus attracted the attention of robbers who must have thought that the two old man and wife were easy game and they could get away with a booty by brandishing their machetes.
“It is painful to see the Opposition leader seeking to politicise even this incident. There is police advisory requesting elderly person living in secluded areas to inform about their location to the nearest police station. And when such intimation reaches a station, the officer in charge makes sure that police patrol teams monitors that area”, said M Karunanidhi, retired SP (Security).
“It is unfair and incorrect to blame the police; the public too should cooperate by heeding to police advice and instructions. Is it possible for the police to provide individual security for every resident in the state?” asked Karunanidhi.
He said Stalin should desist from flinging such “unfair” charges that could make people lose faith in the government and the police “which is not good for our society”.
