There is every possibility of Tamil Nadu being taken over by secessionists and anti-social elements, warned Pon Radhakrishnan, Union Minister of State for Finance, Surface Transport and Shipping on Saturday.
Reacting to media reports that a war of words have been erupted between the BJP and the ruling AIADMK over his remarks about extremists and anti-national elements having a free run in Tamil Nadu, Radhakrishnan told The Pioneer in an exclusive interview that whatever he said was based on information which he has gathered from the public domain as well as the data to which he was privy to as a public servant.
“I did not reveal anything secret or confidential. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the State Police Chief have made it known that the Thoothukudi riots that took place in the months of May 2018 was engineered and masterminded by anti-social and undesirable elements. Interestingly, both the AIADMK and the DMK are maintaining silence over this particular issue and blaming me for telling the truth,” said the Union Minister.
He was referring to the statements made by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami during a press meet and the statement released by State Police Chief TK Rajendran that the Thoothukudi riots which culminated in police firing and death of 13 persons in the anti-Sterlite agitation on May 22.
The release issued by the State Police Chief had said that “the protesters repeatedly engaged in violent acts like hurling stones and attacking police officers which prompted the police to use tear gas and resort to a lathicharge.
After this, a section of the protesters left the spot, but another group organised a road roko, near Theresapuram, during which they damaged public property and again went on stone-pelting spree,” said the State police chief had said.
Radhakrishnan termed it shocking and surprising that the anti-social and anti-national elements who hijacked the anti-Sterlite agitation and set fire to Government property were being eulogised by some of the major political parties in the State.
“I asked the Tamil Nadu government to take steps to prevent the State from falling into the hands of secessionists and chauvinists,” he said.
The Minister took strong exception to the role played by a section of media in the State. “They black out certain news which expose the role of Maoists and anti-national elements.
The declaration made by Paramakudi Kalidas, a Maoist leader who was arrested by the Police last week has been blacked out by most of the media. He had declared that the Maoists were on the verge of seizing power in Tamil Nadu. Kalidas had confessed to the investigators that efforts were in full swing to convert Tamil Nadu into a Maoist land. A few vernacular dailies had carried this news while the mainstream media chose to ignore it,” said Radhakrishnan.
The minister pointed out that there was a certain pattern in the protest demonstrations being held in Tamil Nadu against the Centre. “There is an axis working against the development of the State. If these forces are not controlled, then Tamil Nadu is in for major crisis,” he said.
He also drew the attention to the Jallikkattu agitation of January 2017. “This agitation which started as a sit in at Marina Beach snowballed into massive protest. But the leaders were forced to call it off when they understood that the agitation has been hijacked by certain sections,” said Radhakrishnan. .