The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Secular Progressive Alliance, along with its coalition partners, staged a protest across Tamil Nadu on Thursday by hoisting black flags and burning copies of the Centre’s proposed delimitation bill.
DMK president MK Stalin, who was dressed in a black shirt and trousers, presided over the proceedings, unfurled a black flag and also burnt a copy of the demarcation bill at the residence of a party functionary in Namakkal.
“Let the fires of opposition spread across Tamil Nadu. Down with the arrogance of the fascist BJP,” he wrote on his official social media account later on Thursday.
“Today, you have lit another fire by burning a copy of the black law that makes Tamils refugees in their own country. This fire, too, will spread throughout the Dravidian land. It will subjugate and show the arrogance of the BJP. Say no to the NDA,” he said.
During the protest, Stalin was accompanied by DMK Minister Madvindhan and DMK Namakkal East district secretary Rajesh Kumar.
Meanwhile, party cadres termed the bill as a ‘black law’, led by DMK organization secretary R S Bharati, and staged a protest at Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters, in Chennai.
“In protest against the black law in which the Union BJP government intends to introduce a constitutional amendment in the name of delimitation which seeks to suppress the voice of Tamil Nadu, a protest was held today led by Bharati and copies of the demarcation bill were burnt,” a party statement said.
She added that party supporters who wore black T-shirts registered their protest and staged a demonstration by burning copies of the draft border demarcation law.
On Wednesday, Stalin in a video message appealed to people to hoist black flags at their homes and public places to register their opposition to the demarcation bill.
“The BJP is trying to give more political power to the northern states and make the southern states lose their political power. If that happens, Tamil Nadu will not watch and remain quiet. I said every family will take to the streets and protest,” he wrote.
Later in the day, DMK members wearing black T-shirts held protests in different parts of Tamil Nadu including Villupuram, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore and Madurai.
Members of actor-politician Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), Left Party CPI, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) also raised black flags and burnt copies of the demarcation bill in their offices.
