Reiterating that the DMK would not stop its black flag protests if Governor Banwarilal Purohit continued holding “review meetings”, Opposition leader M.K. Stalin on Monday said he was ready to spend a lifetime in jail to uphold the idea of State autonomy.
Recalling the communication issued by the Raj Bhavan on Sunday warning of criminal action against those protesting against the Governor, Mr. Stalin said the DMK would continue to hold black flag protests.
When asked about Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s claim that people were ready to give up their land for the Salem—Chennai green corridor project, Mr. Stalin said he was ready to accept the Chief Minister’s claim if he visited the affected people to elicit their views. “But he had flown to Salem and told reporters that people were ready to give land for the project,” the DMK leader said.
Making it clear that the DMK was not against the green corridor, Mr. Stalin said that all his party was advocating for was that the government should first talk to the people whose land would be acquired for the project. “I have even suggested the constitution of an expert committee to study the possibility of an alternative route, since the issue has become a major crisis,” he said. “But the AIADMK government is interested only in ‘commission’ from the project. It is implementing the project to make money since it knows that it is not going to remain in office for long. The government’s aim is not to create better road facilities or smooth flow of traffic,” he claimed.
