Parties mount pressure on Cauvery issue

Saidapet MLA and also party Chennai (south) district secretary Ma Subramanian along with party cadre blocked the road in his constituency in protest in Chennai.  

Meanwhile in Coimbatore, two DMK workers attempted suicide by self immolation in full public view on the arterial Avinashi Road. The cops, who were at the spot acted swiftly by overpowering the two men and forcibly removed them from the spot in a vehicle. 

Fellow party MLA (Singanallur) Karthik blocked Coimbatore-Salem passenger train. Over 30 members of Tamilnadu Vivasayigal Sangam (non-political) led by its district president Su Palanisami were arrested for staging a sit in protest in front of the collector office.  

In Tirupur, around 200 farmers staged a rail roko. 

In Madurai apart from the DMK protest in Omachikulam and Anna Nagar, Puthiya Tamilagam cadres staged rail roko in Madurai and Kovilpatti and were arrested. Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam along with 17 parties and organisations too tried to stage rail roko but were prevented by police. 

In the central districts, various political parties and Tamil outfits staged a series of protests. A large number of protesters gathered in front of old bus stand in Thanjavur and blocked the movement of vehicles including buses. The cadre from various political parties including DMK, Congress, CPM, CPI and VCK led by the respective district secretaries staged the protest in the old bus stand while similar protest was held at the new bus stand too. 

While in Tiruchy, the members from the Puthiya Tamilagam blocked the trains in various places. 

The train services from Tiruchy were hit for over an hour. The PT members also staged a rail roko in Thanjavur. Similar protests were held in Ariyalur, Nagpattinam, Tiruvarur and Perambalur. 

In a rare act, BHEL, Tiruchy employees named as ‘BHEL friends’ came out of the unit on Monday morning and walked on the main roads and staged a bike rally condemning the Centre for its failure to constitute the CMB.