AIADMK holds Statewide human chain agitation against drug menace
Days after finalising alliance with the BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha election in Tamil Nadu, All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi founder, and actor, R. Sarathkumar on Tuesday merged his party with the national party in the presence of its State president K. Annamalai and other leaders.
Explaining his decision at a media conference, Mr. Sarathkumar, who founded the party in 2007, said that the fact that he had to negotiate seatsharing arrangement every election and answer questions about alliances led to an introspection.
“I began to think whether forming alliances during elections and negotiating seats was what politics was about... What about working for the welfare for the people? I began to think why I should not work with Prime Minister Narendra Modi; and when I com
municated my decision to Mr. Annamalai, he welcomed it,” Mr. Sarathkumar said.
Comparing Mr. Modi to Congress stalwart K. Kamaraj, he said that the former was delivering a governance akin to what ‘Perunthalaivar’ had delivered.
Drug menace
Referring to other issues, Mr. Sarathkumar said, “We have to think about how drugs are ravaging the youth in Tamil Nadu, and a strong government at the Centre is needed to deal with the issue.”
The AIADMK on Tuesday conducted a Statewide human chain agitation against the drug menace in Tamil Nadu.
Leading the agitation here, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami told reporters, referring to the recent seizures by the Narcotics Control Bureau, that all these operations had been carried out by Central authorities. It was regrettable that the State police officers remained like ‘Kumbhakarna’, a character from the epic Ramayana, known as the sleeping demon, he said.
In view of reports that there were links between expelled DMK functionary Jaffer Sadiq, who has been arrested in connection with a drug racket case, and the family of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Mr. Palaniswami sought a thorough probe into the matter.
The Chief Minister and his son, Udhayanidhi Sta
AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami leading the human chain protest in Chennai.
lin, should own moral responsibility and resign from their posts, he further said.
As for his party’s stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the rules for which were notified on Monday, Mr. Palaniswami recalled his colleague S.R. Balasubramoniyan’s speech in the Rajya Sabha against the law.
As far as his party was concerned, there should not be any differentiation among people on religious
lines, he said, adding that the DMK had, in the Assembly as well as outside it, supported the Act on the ground that this would not affect Muslims.
The AIADMK’s firm stand was that Sri Lankan Tamils who had faced religious persecution in the neighbouring country and taken shelter in India should also be given Indian citizenship. This was reinforced in the Assembly, he added.