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Preventive arrests, widespread tension in TN

Former chief minister M Karunanidhi's arrest -- along with son M K Stalin, Union Minister T R Baalu and several former ministers of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham government -- was the beginning.

In its aftermath, the Tamil Nadu police arrested several top politicians, including former Pondicherry chief minister R V Janakiraman, Rajya Sabha member C P Thirunavukkarasu and assorted legislators for taking out a procession in Pondicherry protesting against Karunanidhi's arrest.

The National Democratic Alliance in retaliation called for an immediate bandh in Pondicherry. All shops and business establishments have been closed, while the police presence has been beefed up.

In Coimbatore, over 200 DMK members, including former legislators C T Dhandapani, Arun Kumar and Shingaravelu, have been taken into preventive custody.

In Madras, where the DMK has called for a bandh on Monday, state transport and private buses went off the roads in anticipation of trouble. Shops and business establishments remained shut, as did educational institutions.

In an interesting offshoot of the pre-dawn arrest drama, a meeting of chief ministers scheduled on Saturday to discuss the procurement and sale of copra has been postponed. It may be recalled that one of the charges being filed against members of the previous DMK government is the procurement of copra at low prices and its resale at inflated rates.

Meanwhile, leaders cutting across the political spectrum have condemned the arrest of Karunanidhi, with varying degrees of vehemence.

"What we saw on TV today does not speak well for democracy," Congress spokesperson Ambika Soni told reporters at a briefing at the AICC headquarters. "The manner in which Karunanidhi was arrested is not proper. Even a criminal is entitled to civilised behaviour. This is serious, it is for the prime minister to act," she said.

The Congress unit in Madras was, however, more muted in its reaction. "The timing and manner of Karunanidhi's arrest was not proper," said Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president E V K S Elangovan.

The Bharatiya Janata Party for its part termed the arrest 'inhuman'. "The party condemns this inhuman behaviour of the police towards an aged and eminent political leader like Karunanidhi," senior leader J P Mathur said.

Meanwhile, former Central Bureau of Investigation joint director K Madhavan added his own spin when he pointed out that a case could be made for transferring investigations in the flyover scam to the CBI.

Karunanidhi's Arrest: The Complete Coverage

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