DMK stages statewide protests against power situation

Chennai - DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Tuesday led the party's state-wide agitation in Chennai against to protest the severe power shortage in Tamil Nadu.

His son M K Stalin led the protest in Kancheepuram and other senior DMK leaders, including former ministers K Anbazhagan, K N Nehru, I Periyasamy and Union minister S S Palanimanickam, fanned out across the state to lead protests. Police said about 60,000 functionaries participated in the protest across the state.

During the protest, Karunanidhi alleged that the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu has worsened during the last one year. "From May 2011, when the new government took over, 928 murders and 768 thefts have taken place. There have been 476 cases of chain snatching," Karunanidhi alleged.The DMK chief said the prolonged hours of power outages ensure there were no streetlights and criminals use the opportunity for chain-snatching.

Karunanidhi also said if the government failed to listen to the opposition or criticial voices then it will find itself on the decline. Former Union minister Dayanidhi Maran, actor Kushboo, MLA J Anbazhagan and former state electricity minister Arcot N Veerasamy also participated along with party chief in the Chennai protest. The DMK, at its executive committee meeting on December 13, accused the AIADMK government of disinterest in tackling the acute power shortage in the state and decided to hold a peaceful state wide protest on December 18.