CM Stalin Of Tamil Nadu Criticizes The Arrest Of Journalists And Action By Central Probe Agencies

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, M. K. Stalin, stated on Saturday that the arrest of journalists and action taken against opposition leaders by the government's central investigative agencies amounted to "betraying" the nation's freedom fighters and constituted "autocratic behaviour." He claimed that those attempting to "impose" one language, one faith, and one culture were the nation's "enemy" and that such "evil forces" had no place in the country.

Regarding the "One country, one language" debate around Hindi and the current protests against it in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Stalin stated that India was a multilingual nation. A single language cannot be designated as the official or national tongue. If that occurs, he predicted, other languages will eventually disappear.

Stalin expressed his concern over the recent suspension of 27 Parliamentarians while speaking virtually at the "India @75 Manorama News Conclave 2022" in Thrissur, Kerala, from Chennai. He claimed that the right to free speech was being denied.

Stalin lauded Pinarayi Vijayan, his counterpart in Kerala, and said that the coalition between his DMK and the CPI(M) in Tamil Nadu was "ideological" and not just a political one. He described the detention of journalists and the way the government was "targeting" opposition leaders as "autocratic behaviour" when answering questions following his talk at the conclave.

"He further said that it is unjust to take away the liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, which was drafted after independence was won after a protracted war. In my view, this amounts to a betrayal of the liberation fighters.

Meanwhile, Stalin also praised former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for his efforts in eradicating poverty, reorganising states based on linguistic distinctions, and establishing the Five Year Plans.