Only anti-social elements arrested in Thoothukudi: Palaniswami
Chennai, June 4: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Monday said the Thoothukudi police are arresting only those persons who indulged in arson and violence on May 22.
Speaking in the assembly, he noted that Tamil Nadu "is the only state witnessing large number of protests in the country" and "protection is given to the people to such an extent".
Palaniswami said permission and protection is given to genuine protestors who want to serve the people or secure their rights from the government.
He said there are sufficient photographic evidence about anti-social elements throwing petrol bombs, setting vehicles on fire and carrying logs during the May 22 protests by the anti-Sterlite Copper smelter plant movement members in Thoothukudi.
"We are showing such persons as anti-social elements and not the general public," Palaniswami said.
He said police are arresting those anti-social elements only with proper evidence.
He also assured the House that action will be taken against those officials who were wrong, based on the report and recommendations of the one-person inquiry commission headed by retired High Court Judge into May 22 violence in Thoothukudi.
In a statement, Palaniswami announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh to the family of Valliammal who died due to burn injuries in a hospital after the bus in which she was travelling was set on fire on May 25 by some anti-social elements.
Valliammal was admitted to a hospital and died on May 31.
Palaniswami said the bus was set on fire following the violence and police firing in Thoothukudi on May 22.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
