DMK to stage state-wide protest against AIADMK on October 3, 4

Opposition DMK Sunday announced it would stage state-wide protests against the ruling AIADMK on corruption, in a bid to counter the arch rival’s move against it on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

DMK propaganda secretaries Trichy Siva and A Raja said the meetings, titled “Commission-Collection-Corruption”, will be held on October 3 and 4.

The meetings would be held to ‘condemn’ the AIADMK government, led by K Palaniswami, since it was not focusing on public welfare, but was involved in corruption, they said in a party statement.

Senior DMK leaders, including party treasurer Durai Murugan, T R Baalu, Siva, Raja and T K S Elangovan, among others, would address meetings at various towns across the state, they added.

The ruling AIADMK has announced state-wide public meetings on September 25, seeking ‘trial’ of DMK and Congress for “war crimes” against Tamils in the 2009 Sri Lankan civil conflict.

The old political issue has been revived by the AIADMK in the backdrop of the recent remarks of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa that the Indian government helped his country during the final war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.

He was at the helm when the nearly 30 year long ethnic strife in Sri Lanka ended then with the defeat of the LTTE, while DMK was part of the Congress-led UPA that ruled India in 2009.

Palaniswami, deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai are scheduled to address the meetings.

Both the Congress and DMK had faced criticism for India’s reported assistance to Sri Lanka then and their failure to prevent casualties of Tamils despite being in power.

AIADMK had on September 19 adopted a resolution at a meeting, alleging that DMK and Congress were responsible for the killings of thousands of Tamils during the war.