DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Friday stated that the removal of Sivaji Ganesan’s statute from Kamarajar Salai in Chennai was a major insult to the fame of the great actor.
“It was removed with political motive because it was installed there by our leader Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) when he was the Chief Minister. The government could have argued in the court in favour of retaining it in the same place. But it always wanted to remove it,” he told reporters.
Asked about Health Minister C. Vijay Baskar’s assertion that the efforts to sideline him in politics would not materialise, Mr. Stalin said the DMK was not interested in creating a crisis for him. “He was involved in distribution of money to voters in R.K. Nagar and his name is also in the list of beneficiaries for allowing illegal sale of gutkha. The Income Tax department has unearthed the details. He has to step down as a minister to face the case. Let him assume office after proving his innocence,” Mr. Stalin said.
In a separate statement, he called upon the farmers and their leader Ayyakannu to give up their protest and return to Tamil Nadu. “There is no point in continuing the protest when we have governments at the Centre and Tamil Nadu completely indifferent to the problems of farmers,” he said.
Alleging that Forest Minister Dindigul C. Srinivasan and other officials were planning to sell silver oak trees in the Nilgiris, he urged the Chief Minister to prevent the attempt to cut the trees.
“It was removed with political motive because it was installed there by our leader Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) when he was the Chief Minister. The government could have argued in the court in favour of retaining it in the same place. But it always wanted to remove it,” he told reporters.
Asked about Health Minister C. Vijay Baskar’s assertion that the efforts to sideline him in politics would not materialise, Mr. Stalin said the DMK was not interested in creating a crisis for him. “He was involved in distribution of money to voters in R.K. Nagar and his name is also in the list of beneficiaries for allowing illegal sale of gutkha. The Income Tax department has unearthed the details. He has to step down as a minister to face the case. Let him assume office after proving his innocence,” Mr. Stalin said.
In a separate statement, he called upon the farmers and their leader Ayyakannu to give up their protest and return to Tamil Nadu. “There is no point in continuing the protest when we have governments at the Centre and Tamil Nadu completely indifferent to the problems of farmers,” he said.
Alleging that Forest Minister Dindigul C. Srinivasan and other officials were planning to sell silver oak trees in the Nilgiris, he urged the Chief Minister to prevent the attempt to cut the trees.