TVK election meeting in Perambur banned, Vijay calls it an attack on democracy
Chennai: Calling the denial of permission for a meeting to launch the Tamilga Vetri Kazhagam’s election campaign in Perambur on Saturday a “fascist attack on democracy,” TVK President Vijay said the ban was evidence of the DMK’s fear of his party’s popularity.
In a social media message on Friday, Vijay stated that permission for a public meeting at the Mullainagar Junction in the Perambur Assembly constituency on March 28th had been sought from the Chennai Police two days earlier, on March 26th. However, on March 27th, the site was dug up and iron barricades and rods were installed, making it unsuitable for a meeting.
Vijay said the police had also certified that the venue could not accommodate a gathering of 3,000 people and rejected TVK’s application to hold the meeting there. He said that it had become a routine practice for the DMK government to deny or delay permission whenever TVK applied for a meeting.
He stated that the deliberate suppression of the democratic rights of a new political party, which enjoys popular support, appears to be the work of some officials acting at the behest of the ruling party. He also stated that the idea of ruthlessly suppressing anyone who might emerge as an opponent of the ruling party is nothing but sheer tyranny. He added that this incident is also proof of the DMK’s fear of TVK’s popularity and that the people will oust them in the elections. News of the meeting’s cancellation caused panic among TVK cadres who were headed to Perambur, where the party’s election office is being set up. However, the event, scheduled to introduce all 234 party candidates for the assembly elections, will take place as scheduled on Sunday at the posh Taj Coromandel Hotel in Chennai. Therefore, party workers and officials were busy making arrangements for introductory meetings and taking the selected candidates to the venue so that the election work could formally begin.
