Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin Thursday warned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to not provoke the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and alleged that the party uses central agencies against those it cannot challenge in electoral politics.
In a nearly 11-minute video, the DMK chief also said that Senthil Balaji was subjected to mental pressure and has now suffered a health issue.
Stalin advised the BJP to not provoke the DMK or its cadres. “If you do so, you can’t withstand the consequences. It is not a threat but a warning,” he said.
தி.மு.க.காரர்களைச் சீண்டிப் பார்க்க வேண்டாம். எங்களுக்கும் எல்லா அரசியலும் தெரியும். இது மிரட்டல் அல்ல; எச்சரிக்கை! pic.twitter.com/MTA0suBkSh
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) June 15, 2023
Asserting that the DMK is fighting communalism, casteism and sanatana dharma, Stalin said his party will not bow down to the BJP’s intimidation tactics but will stand straight and face the threats. “DMK faced MISA (the Maintenance of Internal Security Act) and Hindi imposition, and will face other challenges too standing straight,” he asserted.
The Tamil Nadu chief minister accused the BJP of using the CBI, the I-T and the ED rather than facing the people directly in polls, and demanded that the BJP should at least now stop its autocratic activities and should function with responsibility.
Giving credit to Senthil, Stalin said the two-time minister was not an “ordinary person to hide himself”.
“The ED interrogated Senthil Balaji for 18 hours about a complaint lodged 10 years ago. Senthil Balaji was subjected to mental and physical pressure which weakened him on both counts and that ended up causing cardiac ailment to him. Can there be a more blatant political vendetta?” he asserted.
While stating that there is nothing wrong to interrogate if there is a court order, the CM said: “What is the necessity for locking the person for over 18 hours for interrogation and treating him like a terrorist?”
Stalin alleged that though Senthil fully cooperated with ED officers, the minister was not allowed to meet anyone for 18 hours. “Only after he developed chest pain, the ED took him to the hospital. Had these ED officers ignored his health condition, he would have ended up in big danger,” he argued.
“What is the emergency situation that such an interrogation which would cause danger to his life, was conducted? Is the country under an undeclared Emergency? The ED action points so.”
The BJP did not believe in the people and its politics remained anti-people, he said.
“Those who cannot be challenged in the electoral politics are intimidated through central agencies and that has been the only style of BJP which has been followed across the country,” Stalin said, quoting examples in Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal, Telangana and Karnataka.
The ED had conducted 112 raids between 2004 and 2014 and over 3,000 in the places of opposition parties during the BJP regime, he said, adding that the offences were proven only in 0.5 percent of the cases.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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