By IANS
Chennai : Tamil Nadu’s opposition AIADMK Wednesday filed a petition in the Madras High Court seeking to declare as unconstitutional a strike called by the ruling DMK on Oct 1 to press for the continuation of the controversial Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project.
AIADMK leader J. Jayalalitha also called for the dismissal the DMK government and removal of the DMK ministers from the union cabinet.
The party staged demonstrations across the state, protesting Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s remarks against Hindu god Ram, “which had hurt the feelings of millions of people”, the party said.
Karunanidhi’s remarks were part of his defence of the canal project, which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Hindu groups oppose saying it will damage a bridge, Ram Sethu, constructed by Lord Ram, though scientists say there is no evidence to support the contention.
Jayalalitha has been away from Chennai, living in her resort house in Nilgiris district for the past one week. On Wednesday she led the AIADMK protest in the hill town of Udhagamandalam, about 500 km from here.
She was joined by 3,000 AIADMK workers who raised slogans against the state government and the chief minister.
Jayalalitha said the ruling party was acting in an “unconstitutional” manner by “hurting Hindu sentiments” with anti-Ram remarks, by “attacking offices of other political parties” and calling for a statewide strike.
In Chennai, AIADMK presidium chairman E. Madhusudhanan led the demonstration, which demanded an apology from Karunanidhi for “derogatory remarks” against Ram.
Similar protests were held in Coimbatore, Pollachi, Tirupur and Madurai, besides Puducherry, in which about 7,000 AIADMK workers participated.
While seeking to restrain the DMK and its allies from staging the Oct 1 strike, Madhusudhanan’s petition wanted a direction to the DMK to deposit a sum of Rs.1 billion with the chief secretary towards compensation for any damages to public property.
The petition is likely to be heard Thursday.