Duraimurugan arrest: AIADMK, BJP slam DMK government, call it an attempt to muzzle freedom of expression

Senior AIADMK leader criticizes DMK government for arrest of NTK functionary, accuses Chief Minister of leading "fascist" government.

Senior AIADMK leader D. Jayakumar on Thursday, July 11, 2024, said that the arrest of Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) functionary Sattai Duraimurugan was an attempt to muzzle freedom of expression in Tamil Nadu.

In a social media post, Mr. Jayakumar charged that the DMK government was taking “revenge” against the NTK functionary, as he continued to “expose” various inadequacies of the State government. The former Minister further alleged that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was leading a “fascist” government.

Earlier in the day, while interacting with the reporters, Mr. Jayakumar rejected criticism against the AIADMK leadership. He maintained that the party workers accepted the “effective” leadership of the AIADMK general secretary. When questioned about claims that BJP leader Piyush Goyal was insisting that all sections of the AIADMK come together, he asked: “Who is Piyush Goyal to intervene in our party affairs? What is his association with our party? The alliance [with the BJP] is over. Even when we were in alliance, we did not allow poking of noses into our affairs.”

The AIADMK leader further charged that there were “planned attempts” to weaken his party. To another query, he criticised the DMK government over the law and order situation in the State, referring to the recent murder of Bahujan Samaj Party leader K. Armstrong.

Meanwhile, on the second day of the Lok Sabha constituency-wise review meeting in the AIADMK head office on Thursday, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami reviewed the party’s functions in Sivaganga, Tiruvannamalai and Vellore districts.

Criticising the arrest of NTK functionary Sattai Duraimurugan, BJP State unit president K. Annamalai on Thursday said the police should introspect on their actions.

During an interaction with journalists after he paid tributes to the statue of freedom fighter Veeran Azhagumuthu Kone, Mr. Annamalai, said that while anti-social elements and rowdies were involved in various criminal activities, the police was “repeatedly targeting” those like Mr. Duraimurugan.