Protests likely to throw life out of gear

A series of protests on different days instead of a united agitation on a single day is likely to throw normal life out of gear continuously for many days. The closure of shops called by Forum of Traders Unions leader AM Vikramaraja on April 3 coincides with the fast announced by the ruling AIADMK throughout the state. The forum has 21 lakh members including the owners of restaurants and hotels, but the bandh is unlikely to be total since the other major outfit Vanigar Sangangalin Koottamaippu is not joining the protest. The impact of the bandh will be reduced since DMK working president MK Stalin and opposition parties had announced that they would not join the protests since students would be writing public examination on April 3. 

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader TTV Dhinakaran along with farmers’ outfits had announced a protest to enter the Tiruchy airport and block the runways on April 3. PMK founder S Ramadoss had expressed his party’s support to all the three bandhs on April 3, 5 and 11. 

The DMK and its allies would join hands for the April 5 shutdown and transport including buses and trains throughout the state could be affected due to it, since leaders and functionaries are expected to fan out to different places blocking rail and road traffic on that day. DMDK leader Vijayakanth will lead a protest demonstration in Tiruvarur on April 6 condemning the Centre. 

The protests of Tamil groups had picked up momentum and they had vowed to go on with their protests in front of Central government establishments. The Cauvery Rights Retrieval Committee co-ordinator P Maniarasan had announced that it would besiege the Neyveli Lignite Corporation on April 10. 

The PMK had already announced a bandh on April 11 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Tamil Nadu and Vanigar Sangangalin Koottamaippu headed by T Vellaiyan too had announced that his organisation would take part in the protest to express the opposition during Modi’s visit. All the parties including mainstream and minor ones had vowed to greet Modi with black flags on that day.