CHENNAI: Continuing the spirited protests against the proceedings in the Assembly on the day of trust vote, the DMK cadre turned up in large numbers and went on a fast in all the district headquarters in the State. Stalin’s family members too joined the fast.
DMK working president and Leader of Opposition M K Stalin led the stir in Tiruchy, where leaders of DMK allies, including the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), joined him.
Senior DMK leaders, including Rajya Sabha member ‘Tiruchy’ Siva and former minister K N Nehru, fasted. Several students from Tiruchy also expressed their solidarity with Stalin during the fast.
Former PWD Minister and Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Durai Murugan presided over the fast in Kancheepuram, while another ex-minister E V Velu joined the stir in Tiruvannamalai, according to party sources.
Former Union Minister and DMK deputy general secretary Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan fasted in Erode, while another deputy general secretary V P Duraisamy joined his partymen in Namakkal. Former minister Dr Poongothai Aladi Aruna led the stir in Tirunelveli.
The DMK men fasted at four places in Chennai. The party MLAs Ma Subramanian (Chennai South district secretary) led the protest at Adambakkam, J Anbazhagan (Chennai West) at Valluvarkottam, P K Sekar Babu (Chennai East) at Mint Street and S Sudarsanam (Chennai North) at Vaidyanathan Bridge, Tondiarpet.
“We are observing the fast to condemn the Speaker’s unjust act during trust vote. He invited marshals to bundle us out,” Anbazhagan alleged.
Senior party leaders T R Balu and T K S Elangovan, and Congress leaders E V K S Elangovan, S Peter Alphonse and Karate Thiagarajan also took part in the stir.
Some members of Stalin’s family too joined the protest in Chennai. His son and film actor Udhayanidhi Stalin was present at Adambakkam. Stalin’s wife Durga and sister Selvi sat for the day at Valluvarkottam.