'Fascist tactics', Vijay slams Stalin govt over crackdown on striking sanitation workers

Chennai, Aug 14 (IANS) Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President Vijay has sharply criticised the Tamil Nadu government for what he described as the inhumane and violent arrest of sanitation workers protesting in Chennai.

In a strongly worded statement, Vijay accused the ruling DMK of using “fascist” tactics to suppress peaceful demonstrations.

He alleged that late-night Wednesday police operations saw male and female workers forcibly dragged away, with several women fainting or sustaining injuries in the process.

The violence inflicted on these women, he said, was intolerable for any person with a conscience, and he urged immediate medical attention for the injured along with measures to safeguard their health.

Vijay further condemned the manner in which the arrested workers were detained, claiming they were unable to contact their families or receive assistance.

Questioning whether their strike made them “anti-national”, he said the incident showed that Tamil Nadu was being ruled not in the spirit of democracy but with sheer barbarism.

He also reminded the DMK that the workers were demanding the very commitments the party itself had promised when it was in opposition. “Why have you still not fulfilled those promises? If you cannot honour your word, why make such assurances?” he asked.

Vijay called for the immediate release of all arrested workers and urged the government to provide an alternative venue where they could continue their protest peacefully.

The ongoing agitation began earlier this month when sanitation workers in the Royapuram and Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar zones of the Greater Chennai Corporation launched a sit-in outside the Corporation’s headquarters.

Their main demands include job permanency, better working conditions, and the rollback of plans to privatise conservancy operations in certain zones.

The workers charged that privatisation will result in job losses and worsen already precarious working conditions.

Several political parties, including the AIADMK, BJP, CPI(M), and Naam Tamilar Katchi, along with film industry personalities, have voiced support for the protest.

Despite this backing, the standoff has intensified, with the Madras High Court recently directing authorities to act against protests in unauthorised locations.

The government’s late-night arrests of the workers have now triggered fresh political criticism, with Vijay’s intervention adding to the mounting pressure on the ruling party to resolve the dispute.

--IANS

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