BJP's H Raja flays Stalin govt for arresting Hindu activists protesting against Bangladesh

CHENNAI: In a strong rebuke, veteran BJP leader H Raja on Wednesday criticised the Stalin-led DMK government for arresting Hindu activists who were peacefully protesting in support of Hindus' rights in Bangladesh.

Raja alleged that the Stalin government was functioning with the intention of committing genocide against Hindus and claimed that there was no difference between the Stalin and Muhammad Yunus governments in their approach to handling these protests.

The controversy began when the BJP state unit staged a statewide protest on Wednesday, condemning the Government of Bangladesh for encouraging attacks against Hindus and arresting ISKCON members.

The protests were held in various parts of the state, including Chennai and Coimbatore, with senior BJP leaders participating in the demonstrations.

Senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan, state organisational general secretary Kesava Vinayagam and vice-president Karu Nagarajan led the protest at Chennai Egmore.

Meanwhile, H Raja, and Professor Kanaga Sabapathy staged a protest in Coimbatore and former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan led a separate protest in Krishnagiri.

However, the state police detained all the BJP leaders and cadres who participated in the protests, sparking allegations of unfair treatment by the ruling DMK government.

BJP state vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy pointed out the disparity in treatment meted out to the BJP protesters compared to other parties and outfits.

"While other groups are allowed to protest and detained individuals are released by 6 pm, BJP protesters are detained for longer periods, often until 9 pm. This is highly reprehensible and reflects the bias of the Stalin government against the BJP," he told DT Next.

BJP state president K Annamalai, who is currently in New Delhi, also condemned the DMK-led state government's actions, calling it an "autocratic trend" that sets a bad precedent.