KANNIYAKUMARI: Tamil Nadu State Minorities Commission Chairman S Peter Alphonse on Saturday said the activities of central agencies have raised fear among people and opposition parties, over whether the ensuing elections will be conducted in a fair manner. Speaking to reporters in Nagercoil, Alphonse alleged that the union government did not take any measures to stop the resignation of the election commissioner, who recently stepped down without citing any specific reason, and also raised concern over the holding of Lok Sabha polls.
Further, Alphonse said that it was worrying that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been tarnishing the political image of DMK, which is a prominent member of the INDIA bloc, in connection with the arrest of Jaffer Sadiq, a former DMK functionary, in a drug-trafficking case. "We are not against the probe against Sadiq, but we oppose connecting him with the DMK during the investigation," he said.
Alphonse alleged that the union government has been threatening the DMK ahead of the polls, using central agencies, and added that the activities of AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami was a part of the BJP's political drama. The press meet was also attended by Minister T Mano Thangaraj, Congress assembly floor leader S Rajesh Kumar, Prince MLA, among others. Later, Alphonse also released a book written by Minister Thangaraj at a function in Kottar, sources said.