The Central Government establishments in Tamil Nadu are no more safe following the agitations launched by the principal Opposition party the DMK and its allies against the Centre’s failure to constitute the Cauvery Management Board as directed by the Supreme Court in its February 16 verdict.
Monday saw activists of May 17 Movement, a secessionist and ant-national organisation vandalising Shasthri Bhavan, a building complex housing Central Government offices include some of the sensitive departments like the Atomic Energy Commission, Central Bureau of Investigation and Regional Passport Office.
“They threw stones and chappals at the office from outside and shouted anti-India and anti-Narendra Modi slogans. But the heavy posse of policemen guarding the premises removed the activists before they could cause any damage,” said a senior AEC official. The approach road to Shastri Bhavan resembled a battle zone with the May 17 Movement activists and police getting engaged in fisticuffs while the latter tried to remove the demonstrators. Interestingly, Shastri Bhavan is situated next to the heaily guarded palatial Chennai residence of former union minister P Chidambaram.
Sources in Chennai Police said that they were keeping a close watch on the activities of May 1 Movement as a sequel to the threat issued by Thirumurugan Gandhi, its leader, who had said through social media that all central government establishments should leave Tamil Nadu. Gandhi and May 17 Movement were the principal organisers of the anti-Jallikkattu agitation of January 2017 which brought Chennai to a standstill for a fortnight.
More than 300 activists of the DMK have been detained by the police in connection with the road roko. There are reports of attempts to self- immolation by party activists though there are no causalities.
Meanwhile, the DMK gave enough hints that it would keep the State on tenterhooks till the Central Government constitute the CMB. The party staged road roko in various places in the State including Chennai on Monday which threw morning traffic haywire causing unprecedented hardship to office goers and students.