DMK president M.K. Stalin on Monday interacted with some of those who were detained by the Chennai police on Sunday for drawing kolam (rangoli) with anti-CAA/NRC/NPR messages at Besant Nagar.
In a statement, Mr. Stalin said the AIADMK government had stooped to the level of arresting women drawing kolam, while supporters of the CAA were taking out rallies.
“If taking out a rally [in support of the CAA] is a democratic right, opposing it is also a democratic right. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami is keen on pleasing his bosses in Delhi,” Mr. Stalin alleged.
He condemned the police for filing a case against journalists who visited a camp for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Kanniyakumari district.
Women’s rally
DMK Member of Parliament Kanimozhi said, “They (anti-CAA protesters) met me and thanked the DMK for expressing solidarity with them. Since they wanted to meet our leader [Stalin], I took them to him.”
The protesters invited Ms. Kanimozhi to participate in a women’s rally against the CAA, to be held in the first week of January 2020.
Protest spreads
In a related development, many DMK and Congress leaders and cadre across the State drew kolam with anti-CAA/NRC/NPR messages outside their homes. The Gopalapuram residence of late DMK leader M. Karunanidhi, and the Alwarpet residences of Mr. Stalin and Ms. Kanimozhi also had kolam bearing messages against the CAA and the NRC.
A similar kolam was drawn at the house of TNCC president K.S. Alagiri. “Let the police arrest my family members,” he said.
