Palaniswami lashes out at detractors

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Wednesday lashed out at his detractors, saying those who tried to create an impression of law and order problems in post-Jayalalithaa era with an eye on power had failed and have been 'exposed' among the people.

With the state facing a series of protests over the past year on a number of issues, including Cauvery and NEET, the Chief Minister wondered if democratic rights were being used appropriately in the state.

In his reply to the debate on the grants for his Home portfolio in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Palaniswami said the state police were diligently working and ensuring peace and taking up crime-prevention efforts.

The government was following in the footsteps of the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and deftly handling many issues like the Cauvery dispute, he said.

Since some political parties could not find fault with the government, they were levelling false charges of law and order problems, he alleged.

"Further, those parties had thought AIADMK will collapse after Amma's death and had day dreamt they can come to power. Since that did not happen, they announce protests for everything and try to create an impression through such agitations that law and order has been affected," he said.

Palaniswami, who took over as Chief Minister in 2017, did not name anybody, but said such persons with "narrow political intentions" failed in their attempts to create an "illusion" about law and order and stand exposed among people.

"Since the people of Tamil Nadu have a clarity on taking decisions, these persons' daydreams (of coming to power) will not happen even in 2021 (Assembly polls)," he said.

While the Constitution had provided rights like freedom of expression and holding protests, "we should ponder over whether we are using them appropriately," the Chief Minister said.

Some people who feared the government would get credit for efficiently handling many issues were blowing up small problems and therefore staged protests and agitations, he said.

Further, many found fault "even with good projects" of the government, Palaniswami alleged but assured the government would act on issues in its projects and decisions.

Assuring that police was diligently working towards ensuring all-round peace, and especially addressing extremist related issues, he said police were closely monitoring various groups, including those with pro-ISIS leanings.

Recently, a six-member gang from Keezhakarai in Ramanathapuram district with "Martyrdom" as their motto were arrested and their plans to create communal tensions were thwarted, the Chief Minister said.

Further, a Pakistani who had last year arrived at Ramanathapuram through Sri Lanka without valid documents was promptly arrested, he added.

Efforts were also on to prevent infiltration of Naxalites, Palaniswami said and pointed to the recent arrests of Maoists in Tamil Nadu to insist that police are maintaining constant vigil.

On the women's safety front, he said Coimbatore and Chennai have topped list, as per the 2016 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics.