Stalin condemns arrest of protesting nurses, accuses TVK government of betrayal
DMK president M.K. Stalin on Tuesday alleged that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government had backstabbed nurses after promising to fulfil their demands. In a social media message, he condemned the arrest of nurses on Monday night, who had been fighting for job security, equal pay, and permanent employment. Stalin questioned how the government could arrest nurses when it was unable to hold talks with them, noting that the legal adviser of the nurses alleged they were arrested after being invited for talks on the pretext of holding discussions.
Staling accused the TVK of reversing its pre-election stance, stating that before coming to power, the party had extended support to the protesters, but had taken police action against them after becoming the ruling party. He highlighted the nurses' resilience during the protest, noting that they continued their demonstrations with the help of lights on their mobile phones after the power was cut before being arrested overnight. Stalin also referenced a warning by a woman police officer and questioned whether Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, who holds the police portfolio, would respond to the incident.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami also condemned the "police brutality" unleashed by the TVK government against nurses staging a peaceful protest, calling it "the height of cruelty." Palaniswami criticized the police force's actions against nurses engaged in the vital duty of saving lives, describing the incident as a "fascist atrocity."
