Cutting across partylines all political parties and employees of Annamalai University joined hands and protested against the management’s move to cut salaries.Around 5000 protesters held hunger strike near Gandhi Statue in Chidambaram. Protesters firmly said they would not accept even a cut of one rupee.
Addressing the protesters, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan said, “The government should form an inquiry commission to probe in to the cause of the financial crisis. For the past one week there had been a turbulent situation in Chidambaram town. The university management should step back from its decision to cut the salaries of employees. As the students were affected,the situation called for the intervention of the State government to safeguard the university. The State should immediately take steps to reopen the university.”
Seeking a CBI inquiry on the vexed issue, TVK founder Panruti Velmurugan said, “The financial irregularities in the university had affected the employees and students. Government should take over the university.”
Presiding over the protest, Chidambaram MLA K Balakrishnan said, “Those who were responsible for the present financial crisis should be punished. Employees were not responsible for the crisis. Hence, reduction in their salaries couldnot be justified in any way. Tamil Nadu government should step in immediately in order to save the employees and students.”
PMK MLA J Guru, former MLAs Durai Saravanan, writer Durai Ravikumar, Vallalperuman of Congress, G Selvaraj of MMK, D Manivasagam of CPI, R Paneer of Lokjana Sakthi, Elango Yadav of Samajvadi and representatives of Employees Association Mathiyazhagan and Udhayachandran were present.
Many shops in Chidambaram were closed and bus routes were changed due to the hunger strike.