Slap NSA against those responsible, demands Stalin

Condemning the incidents which took place in Chennai and Tirupur on Monday, Stalin said that some “silly-minded” people have deliberately attempted to disturb peace in the State in the pretext of insulting Periyar. 

Asserting that Periyar was not cowed down by such incidents and a statue was erected for him by late Karunanidhi in the same spot where the rationalist was once attacked, the DMK president said that some mentally deranged persons, who could not stomach the social revolution engineered by the Dravidian movement, have of late been continuously engaging in such “cheap, silly and despicable” acts with the support of communal elements. 

Opining that it was dangerous that the ruling AIADMK was remaining a mute spectator to such acts to continue in power, Stalin said the rulers of the Periyar’s land should slap NSA on those responsible for the incident.

Dravidar Kazhagam president K Veeramani said, “Periyar was a leader who faced such experiences in his lifetime. He cannot be insulted by such things. Now they have flung footwear, the important question is what they would use next. How is the government allowing such incidents to happen?”

Stating that if people start responding to such acts, he said it would only amount to riots. “Bidding adieu to such governments would be the only solution to prevent the riots. That would be the oath we take on Periyar’s birthday,” Veeramani said.

TNCC president S Thirunavukkarasar and his predecessor and former Union Minister EVKS Elangovan also condemned the incident and termed it as barbaric.

Meanwhile, BJP state unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan, while condemning the incident, said her party has nothing to do with the desecration of the statue.