Chennai, Sep 16 (IANS): DMK President M.K. Stalin condemned the Central Crime Branch raids on former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, describing the police action as a blatant attempt by the TVK government to divert public attention from pressing issues across Tamil Nadu.
Central Crime Branch teams carried out searches at six locations in Chennai and Tiruchy, including the former minister’s residence, as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in granting approvals to private schools during the previous DMK government.
Reacting to the searches, Stalin said the raids were driven by political vendetta and reflected the government’s desperation to distract people from its administrative failures.
In a social media post, Stalin said people across Tamil Nadu were angry over frequent power outages.
He also referred to protests by fishermen against the proposed new Secretariat complex at Pattinapakkam and the demonstration staged outside the Secretariat by relatives of Tamil Nadu residents missing in Nepal, who were allegedly yet to receive clear answers from the government.
The DMK leader further highlighted the shortage of Aavin milk, which he said had caused hardship to consumers in several parts of the state. Instead of addressing such public grievances, the government was targeting opposition leaders through police action, he alleged.
Stalin also accused the government of failing to act effectively on serious law and order incidents, including the double murder reported in Ramanathapuram and the assault on a government bus driver during a Vinayaka Chaturthi procession in Chennai.
He also referred to the alleged sexual assault on a woman police officer by a ruling-party functionary in Ayanavaram.
The former chief minister accused CM C. Joseph Vijay of remaining preoccupied with his London visit while several serious problems demanded immediate attention at home.
Claiming that the administration had become helpless in the face of mounting public criticism, Stalin said the raids against Anbil Mahesh were intended to shift the political narrative and intimidate the opposition.
“This naked act of political revenge will be challenged legally,” Stalin said.
He asserted that targeting the principal opposition party would not reduce public anger against the government. The DMK president said politically motivated accusations would not withstand judicial scrutiny and warned that the government would soon realise that investigative agencies could not be used to silence its critics or conceal administrative failures.
