AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday warned the DMK government of an agitation if it did not immediately withdraw the cases filed against seven farmers under the Goondas Act for their opposition to land acquisition in Tiruvannamalai district.
In a statement, he said certain parts of the district, such as Melma junction road and Koozhamandal, looked like war-torn areas and the government had put up fence wires, similar to the ones on the India-Pakistan border, and stationed anti-riot vehicles (Vajra) to quell the farmers’ protest.
Mr. Palaniswami said that when the AIADMK was in power, there were numerous agitations, including those “instigated by the DMK”. Even on such occasions, his government allowed farmers to protest, and when their demands were genuine, the government had accepted them.
He further accused the DMK government of using the police “deftly” to suppress the protests by farmers.
AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran deplored Anna University hiking the examination fee and said the hike would force students to incur an additional expenditure of ₹2,000 every semester. He called upon the authorities to withdraw it.
