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NEW DELHI: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leaders on Wednesday strongly condemned the Vijay-led government’s “attempt to arrest” its Gen Z wing coordinator, Anbananthan Ariyappan, during a late-night operation at his residence.“I strongly condemn the attempt by the police to trespass into the house of Anbananthan Ariyappan in Rayakottai, Krishnagiri, at midnight and arrest him. He has been actively organising meetings to mobilise the party’s Gen Z youth. Similarly, recently, a young party member named Kani, who spoke at a Gen Z gathering, was subjected to a murderous attack by TVK goons in Saidapet. Despite this, the police have not registered any case against those responsible for attacking Kani. Instead, they allegedly intimidated him and forced him to leave the hospital where he had been admitted for treatment,” said state leader of opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin in a post on X.Drawing a contrast between the two incidents, the DMK accused the government of acting swiftly against opposition members while failing to take action against ruling party supporters accused of violence.“If party youth speak against the ruling party and the government, the police are sent after them. But when the attackers belong to TVK, the authorities merely look on. Is this the ‘change’ that was promised?”He further alleged that the ruling dispensation had resorted to intimidation because its image among young voters was weakening. It warned the government against using law enforcement agencies to target opposition workers and said the party would not remain a “silent spectator” if such actions continued. “Unable to tolerate the fact that the carefully cultivated image of the administratively inept ‘#SofaModel’ government is crumbling among the youth, the rulers have resorted to repression. I warn the ruling government that if it believes it can intimidate party youth by unleashing the police on them, the party will not remain a silent spectator,” he said.The opposition party leader Kanimozhi alleged that the government was targeting young people who raise questions against those in power. It warned that attempts to silence critics would be met with resistance from Tamil Nadu’s youth.“The actions of the police under the TVK government, who allegedly entered a house in the middle of the night and attempted to arrest Mr. Anbananthan Ariyappan, the Gen Z wing coordinator of the DMK, are condemnable,” she said in a post on X. “The TVK government may believe it can suppress and silence young people who question it, but the youth of Tamil Nadu will soon give an appropriate response,” she added.The allegations come a day after a heated confrontation between the ruling TVK and the opposition DMK in the Tamil Nadu assembly.On Tuesday, chief minister Vijay launched a sharp attack on DMK, alleging that during its previous tenure in power, funds from various government departments were diverted into what he termed “party funds.” He further claimed that the previous DMK government had “siphoned” public money, drawing strong objections from opposition members.Leader of opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin immediately protested the remarks and demanded that the chief minister substantiate the allegations with evidence rather than make what he described as baseless accusations. The exchange triggered noisy scenes in the House, with DMK legislators rising in protest.
