CHENNAI: The DMK’s protests on Saturday spilt onto the streets as Leader of Opposition M K Stalin led a hunger strike of his party’s legislators on the Marina before courting arrest.
After being evicted from the Assembly during the trust vote, Stalin went straight to the Raj Bhavan with a memorandum to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, saying “the police entered the Assembly Hall and removed us by using force, presumably under the instructions of the Speaker. Many of our members have sustained injury.”
“The agenda of the Speaker is to go ahead with voting and announce that the Chief Minister has succeeded in getting the confidence of the House, in the absence of the DMK members.
This is unconstitutional,” he said. Stalin called upon the Governor to restore democratic values and order postponement of the Assembly for conducting secret voting on the confidence motion. Later, the DMK working president led his party MLAs on a hunger strike in front of Gandhi Statue on the Marina, demanding the dissolution of the government and establishment of democratic rule.
A large number of DMK men gathered within quick time disrupting traffic.
Rajya Sabha Member Kanimozhi and former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran also joined the hunger strike.
However, the police detained protesters, including Stalin and MLAs, and took them to a marriage hall in Mylapore. They were released in the evening.
Stalin announced that his party would continue peaceful protests if the Governor remained quiet. “If the Governor continues to be quiet, we will also carry on with peaceful protests,” he told reporters.
Angry DMK men resorted to protests in several places in the city and elsewhere in the State, damaging vehicles.