Tension prevailed in Oddapatti near Dharmapuri town on Sunday, when cadre belonging to the DMK and the VCK staged a black flag protest against Governor Banwarilal Purohit, condemning his review meetings with State government officials.
When the Governor, accompanied by Higher Education Minister K.P. Anbalagan and District Collector K. Vivekanandan, arrived at Oddapatti to campaign for the Swachh Bharat initiative, a large number of DMK and VCK cadres, led by Thadangam P. Subramani of the DMK, waved black flags and raised slogans against him.
Attempt to block convoy
Terming the Governor’s actions anti-democratic, they raised slogans in support of State autonomy. They also vented their ire at Mr. Purohit for his perceived failure to take steps to secure Tamil Nadu’s due share of Cauvery water. P.N.P. Inbasekaran, MLA and R. Thamaraiselvan, former MP, took part in the agitation.
At one point, the agitators even attempted to block the Governor’s convoy. However, the police cordoned off the area and removed them from the spot. Soon after, the Governor left.
Speaking to mediapersons, Mr. Subramani and Mr. Thamaraiselvan said the Governor, by holding review meetings, was encroaching upon the autonomy of the State as well as its constitutional rights. His actions constituted an attempt to “take away the authority vested by the people in a democracy,” they alleged.
They also claimed that the State government remained a slave to the BJP-led government at the Centre.
Till the last minute, the district administration and the police did not disclose the exact locations that the Governor was scheduled to visit as part of the cleanliness and hygiene campaign. Even the media came to know about the locations only later on.
However, the DMK and the VCK cadre managed to get the information beforehand and were present at Oddapatti, sporting black shirts and with black flags, well ahead of the Governor’s arrival.
