Dharapuram bye-poll NTK candidate held; Seeman alleges political vendetta

Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief coordinator Seeman on Tuesday, October 20, has criticised the Tamil Nadu police for arresting the party's Dharapuram Assembly bye-election candidate M Karthika in connection with three cases registered during her election campaign.

Seeman alleged that Karthika had been targeted for protesting the police’s denial of permission to campaign. The Dharapuram Assembly constituency bye-poll was held on October 6. Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)’s P Sathyabama won the election by a margin of 9,471 votes.  

“At a time when law-and-order and peace have completely deteriorated across the state, Chief Minister Vijay has failed to use the police to set things right and is making false cases to arrest Karthika for political revenge. Is this not despicable politics?” he asked.

Karthika, who is the NTK's women wing coordinator, had contested the bye-election in Dharapuram of Tiruppur district. The case is linked to incidents during that bye-election, in which Vijay campaigned for the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate Sathyabama.

 On the last day of the election campaign, NTK had planned to campaign in the Veerachimangalam area of Dharapuram. Chief Minister Vijay had also announced that he would campaign for TVK at the same time in the location.

The police denied NTK permission, citing the Chief Minister’s scheduled roadshow and security arrangements along the route.

Karthika and other NTK members objected to the restriction, alleging that the police were preventing their campaign and acting in a biased manner. An argument broke out between the party members and the police, following which NTK members staged a road blockade in protest. 

Three cases were registered against Karthika and a few NTK members for allegedly besieging a police station, campaigning along the route taken by Vijay, and allegedly making defamatory remarks about him.

The Dharapuram police arrested Karthikha and her husband Muruga Chandrakumar from her residence in Coimbatore. Six NTK functionaries were also arrested in connection with the case. 

“If the TVK government is going to repeat the same mistakes that the Dravidian parties made during their previous regimes, is this good governance? This is a disgraceful, authoritarian rule,” Seeman said.

He also demanded that Karthika, Muruga Chandrakumar, and the other NTK members be released immediately. He warned that the government would have to face consequences if it failed to do so.

Reacting to the arrest, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and former chief minister MK Stalin questioned the government's decision to take action against a woman from a marginalised community.

“Women from oppressed communities who participate in public life should be welcomed and encouraged, irrespective of differences in ideology. What does this government try to achieve by arresting and intimidating them?” Stalin asked.

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) president TTV Dhinakaran has also questioned the government's priorities, arguing that the police should be focused on tackling crime and drug trafficking rather than targeting political opponents.