Farmers Movement Archive

Will drop cases filed against protesters during AIADMK regime: Stalin

Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin on the last day of the current session of the legislative assembly, announced that cases against those who protested the eight-way Chennai- Salem expressway, Kudankulam nuclear power plant, hydrocarbon extraction projects, the three new farm legislation and several others during the previous AIADMK would be dropped. “All these cases filed against citizens for protesting will be withdrawn,” Stalin said on Thursday, adding that the intention is to uphold their right and protect the freedom of expression. In the assembly, he also announced that ₹1,000 crores will be allocated to temple renovation in the state.Activists say that more than 10,000 cases were registered against protestors across five districts in Tamil Nadu where the Salem-Chennai expressway project cut through. “We welcome the government dropping cases against us, but this is not a conclusion,” said A Chandramohan, state secretary, All India Kisan Mahasabha (AIKM).“The DMK government has to pass a resolution in the legislative assembly insisting that the central government scrap this project. Tamil Nadu revenue department is the local authority to do the land acquisition process. Without the government support, the project by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) cannot implement it.” In December 2020, the Supreme Court upheld the land acquisition notifications for the expressway, partially allowing appeals of the Union government and the NHAI and overturned a Madras high court judgement.A few of these protests were supported by the DMK when they were in the opposition. When Stalin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month in Delhi, he urged him for several centrally sponsored schemes and projects to be scrapped, including the Salem-Chennai expressway. Stalin has already announced that a resolution will be passed against the farm laws and the Citizenship Amendment Act in the budget session of the assembly scheduled in July. Earlier on June 13, Stalin wrote to the PM that the state is of the firm view that hydrocarbon projects should not be taken up in the protected agriculture zone in the interests of the agrarian community and the ecology of the region.After coming to power, Stalin ordered for most of the cases to be withdrawn against anti-Sterlite protestors on the eve of the third anniversary in May of the police firing that killed 13 civilians who participated in the demonstration in Thoothukudi district. The new government also decided to provide no-objection certificates (NOC) to those arrested during the protest for pursuing higher education and jobs.The previous AIADMK regime, before the assembly elections, had dropped a majority of cases against CAA protestors, Covid-19 lockdown violators and pro-jallikattu activists.

Hindustan Times

25-06-2021

India