The wide-scale destruction of public property and cutting down of trees by the activists of the PMK has made Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa issue a stern warning to all political parties in the State. “Political parties found to be engaged in violent actions will be banned in the State,” a visibly agitated Jayalalithaa told the Assembly on Monday.
She was replying to a calling attention motion on the violence seen all over the State since April 25 when the PMK workers went on rampage setting afire homes, pelting stones and petrol bombs at passing vehicles and cutting down trees.
Jayalalithaa announced that her Government would not hesitate to ban any political party that indulged in violence. likening these acts of violence by cadre of Pattali Makkal Katchi during its youth festival to acts of terrorist violence that affected innocent people, Jayalalithaa said her Government cannot allow common people to be made to suffer.
PMK founder S Ramadoss, his son and former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramdoss, party president GK Mani and nearly 300 activists were arrested following widespread vandalism and destruction of public property in the State. Three second-rung leaders of the party including Kaduvetti J Guru, deputy leader of the three-member PMK in the Assembly have been arrested under National Security Act. The father-son duo and other workers except those held under NSA were released on last Friday. Three persons were killed in the State in stone-pelting by the PMK workers.
The Chief Minister said she would start the process of recovering the costs of damages inflicted upon public and private property by the violence of the PMK cadre. Property worth `600 crore was damaged by the PMK workers who were protesting the arrest of Ramadoss and later his son Anbumani, for their inflammatory speeches and incitement of violence.