Chennai: Protesting against the police firing that resulted in the death of 13 persons during the anti-Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi last week, DMK members led by their working president M. K. Stalin, clad in black shirts, staged a walkout from the Assembly on the opening day of the Budget session, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami over anti-Sterlite protests. Stalin also sought a white paper on the incidents leading to police action.
Monday’s GO on closing Sterlite plant, Stalin claimed was a mere “eye-wash” and it tantamouts to “signaling” the Sterlite management to approach the court for permission to operate the unit again. “If the government is serious on this issue, then it would have convened the Cabinet and took a policy decision and issued the order. Only then it will be valid in any court,” the DMK leader claimed.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly on Tuesday, he said when he raised the issue on police firing in Thoothukudi, in the Assembly, the CM objected to his reference to the deaths as “murder” and the Speaker expunged it. “If we say inefficient government, they expunge. They have accounted for 13 deaths.
Murder cases should be registered against the police DGP, district SP, Tirunelveli DIG, Madurai IG, and these officials should be suspended and disciplinary action initiated against them. Above all, owning moral responsibility the CM should resign,” Mr. Stalin who staged a walk out along with his DMK legislators, insisted.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly was reconvened on Tuesday after it was adjourned on March 22, following the presentation of the Budget.
He informed that his DMK would not participate in the Assembly proceedings till the Cabinet passed the orders. To a question, he replied that Mr. Palaniswami had in his report tabled in the Assembly and even while talking to media, refrained from referring to ‘police firing’ incident that had caused the deaths. “The CM’s report on the violence is a farce and even the one-person enquiry commission is an eye-wash,” Mr. Stalin added.
