Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin slammed the BJP, accusing it of trying to create law and order problems in the state on the eve of the 75th Independence Day. Referring to the incident where BJP functionaries hurled a slipper at state Finance Minister Dr P Thiaga Rajan’s (PTR) vehicle on Saturday, August 13, the CM said, “BJP leaders are trying to indulge in cheap politics, their true colours have been exposed by their behaviour at the wreath-laying ceremony for army jawan Lakshmanan.”
Breaking his silence on the incident, Stalin said, “BJP workers, led by their leader, had gathered at the Madurai airport where PTR was paying his respects to the jawan who was killed in a terror attack on an Army camp in Jammu on Thursday. It was an event where elected representatives and officials were paying their tributes. This was when the Minister and other officials questioned the presence of the BJP workers, who engaged in an argument and created a ruckus.”
Condemning the incident, the CM added, “Slippers were hurled at the Minister’s car which also had the national flag. They (BJP workers) maligned the importance of the 75th Independence Day celebrations. If they wanted to pay their tributes to the brave jawan, they should have visited his residence and met his family members. Instead, they chose to indulge in politics and create law and order problems in the state. By doing this, the BJP leaders have insulted the national flag.”
Stalin also made a reference to Dr Saravanan, the former Madurai BJP chief, who met PTR at his residence and apologised for the incident at the airport. The CM said, “A person who was part of this group had met the Finance Minister and tendered an apology for what happened at the airport, and has also decided to quit the party.”
Stalin said that the people involved in the incident have been arrested and that legal action will be taken against them. He added, “Those who try to instigate such acts will not be spared. This is Tamil Nadu, your politics will not work here.”