BLURB
DMK announces September 12 statewide protest against Vijay’s Assembly remarks targeting Stalin and Karunanidhi, accusing him of lowering Assembly dignity.
Chennai
The DMK on Wednesday announced a statewide protest on September 12 against what it described as “scurrilous remarks” made by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in the Assembly against party chief MK Stalin and late party patriarch M Karunanidhi. The party said the remarks, which included corruption allegations against their respective regimes, were condemnable and had lowered the dignity and tradition of the Assembly.
In a statement, the DMK alleged that Vijay’s speech on September 7 trivialised the party, Karunanidhi, late Union minister Murasoli Maran and the sacrifices of Stalin. The party particularly objected to remarks concerning Stalin’s imprisonment during the Emergency between 1975 and 1977. The DMK said Stalin had endured “torture” during his one year in prison after being arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA).
The party alleged that the Assembly had never witnessed such a “disgusting speech” and accused the Chief Minister of setting aside its dignity, traditions and history. It further claimed that Vijay had resorted to crass rhetoric because he was unable to answer questions concerning alleged governance failures. The DMK said the Chief Minister had thereby transformed himself into an individual “without standards.”
The statewide protest will be organised under the leadership of district secretaries, with the party describing it as a major demonstration against Vijay’s Assembly remarks. The announcement comes amid an escalating political confrontation between the ruling government and the DMK over corruption allegations and the conduct of Assembly proceedings.
Vijay had mounted a strong attack on the DMK in the Assembly on September 7, alleging serious and organised corruption during its previous regimes. He cited the Sarkaria Commission report while targeting the Karunanidhi-led government and also referred to Murasoli Maran. The Chief Minister additionally cited ED documents shared with the state government regarding alleged corruption during the DMK’s 2021-26 tenure and named Stalin and Udhayanidhi in this context.
