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States » SouthPosted at: Mar 17 2025 6:08PM


BJP Leaders Annamalai, Tamilisai arrested ahead of TASMAC protest

Chennai, Mar 17 (UNI) Scores of BJP cadres and functionaries, including Party Tamil Nadu Unit President K Annamalai and senior leader and former Telangana Governor and Puducherry Lt.Governor Ms Tamilisai Soundararajan and party functionaries were arrested ahead of their proposed agitation in the city on Monday against the Rs 1,000 crore malpractices unearthed by
the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during the 3-day raids pertained to the dealings in the State-
owned TASMAC.
Those arrested included several women members of the BJP.
Ahead of the protest planned in front of TASMAC headquarters in the city, which was also
raided by the ED, a team of Chennai police stopped Mr Annamalai near his house at Akkarai.
He was later detained and taken into custody when he tried to proceed towards the protest
venue at Egmore area where the TASMAC headquarters was situated.
Police also arrested Ms. Tamilisai Soundararajan when she was about leave her house at
Saligramam to take part in the protest. As a large number of BJP workers had gathered in
front of her house, police cordoned it off and took them into custody.
Tension prevailed for a while due to jostling between the BJP party workers and the police
when Ms Tamilisai and the BJP workers were arrested.
BJP Legislators Ms Vanathi Srinivasan, who is the BJP Mahila Morcha President, and
Ms Saraswathi were also arrested, near the State Secretariat, when they are about to
leave for the protest after taking part in the initial proceedings of the State Assembly today.
Scores of BJP workers were arrested in various parts of the city to prevent them from
proceeding towards the protest venue.
Condemning the arrests of Mr Annamalai, Ms Tamilisai and other senior leaders, BJP cadres
staged a protest demonstration in parts of the city and shouted slogans after the ruling DMK.
Later, in a post on X Mr. Annamalai condemned the arrests.
He said“Is it because we declared the protest democratically and announced the date of the
protest in advance that you (government) are able to engage in such cowardly actions? What
can you do if we organise a protest one day, without announcing a date?”
Senior BJP Leader and Union Minister L. Murugan also condemned the arrest of BJP leaders and
accused the DMK government of suppressing the agitation.
Leaders of the PMK, TMC and AMMK also condemned the arrest of BJP leaders even before their protest.
PMK President and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Anbumanialso sought to know why the DMK government
and the police are afraid of the protests against corruption.
He also asked whether there was no permission in Tamil Nadu even to protest against corruption
in a democratic way.
Dr Anbumani, also a former Union Minister, said if the DMK did not commit any irregularities, it should stop such suppressive acts and order a CBI probe into the TASMAC scam.
UNI GV 1800
Tags: #BJP Leaders Annamalai# Tamilisai arrested ahead of TASMAC protest
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