Chennai: DMK staged protests across Tamil Nadu on Saturday, condemning chief minister C Joseph Vijay’s remarks, which the party said denigrated former chief minister M K Stalin over his arrest during Emergency.In Chennai, former ministers P K Sekarbabu and M Subramanian led protests outside the Chennai Collectorate on Rajaji Salai and near the Kalaignar Karunanidhi Golden Jubilee Arch in Saidapet, respectively. Senior leader A Raja, GCC Mayor R Priya, and former MLAs also participated.The protesters launched a sharp attack on Vijay over his comments on the Sarkaria Commission and ED dossiers during his reply to the demands for grants for the home department recently. They raised slogans against the ruling party and accused the chief minister of failing to respond to questions raised by leader of the opposition, Udhayanidhi Stalin, on the deteriorating law-and-order situation and public issues.Raja termed the chief minister’s remarks as the “peak of vulgarity”, saying political discourse in Tamil Nadu had never stooped to such a level. “From Anna and Kalaignar to Duraimurugan and Rahman Khan, and from our present party president M K Stalin to youth wing leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, no leader has ever used the term ‘vulgarity’ to describe questions raised by the Opposition,” Raja said. He also criticised minister C T R Nirmal Kumar for allegedly belittling the sacrifices of political leaders who endured the brutality of the MISA during Emergency.In Dindigul, former minister I Periyasamy said the chief minister’s speech was disgraceful. “He spoke as if the written speech handed to him was the truth. The reality is that chief minister Vijay lacks political understanding. No corruption charges against DMK leaders have been proved,” he said. DMK cadres staged similar protests across the state under the leadership of district secretaries.Addressing the gathering in Karur, former minister V Senthil Balaji alleged that Vijay “fled like a coward” after the Karur stampede that killed 41 people; the then DMK govt, including former chief minister M K Stalin, were among the first responders. He said that while Vijay had claimed that he would open the three files containing corruption allegations against DMK leaders, he would not be able to find anything against them. “We (the DMK) have done nothing wrong. No matter how much he digs, he will not find anything in any year. Let him check all the files,” he said. Salem district in charge Durai Senthamizh Selvan alleged that Vijay’s remarks were an attempt to belittle the DMK and its ideology.
