Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin asserted on Friday that the unity of opposition parties across the country would deal a decisive blow to the "autocratic" Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Speaking at a protest gathering organised by the ruling DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance in Coimbatore, Stalin expressed gratitude to the participants for their solidarity against the alleged misuse of investigating agencies by the central BJP government, emphasising that such unity would resonate nationwide.
He thanked members of the ruling DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance for holding a protest meeting in Coimbatore against the "Union BJP Government's blatant misuse of investigating agencies for political ends," saying the unity and solidarity shown there would spread everywhere. That will shake the foundation of the "BJP's invincible image constructed by false narratives," he tweeted.
"BJP has realised that an impending defeat stares them in the face. To hide the failures of the BJP, it is resorting to acts of cowardice and arrogance, instead of fighting its opponents politically. The coming together of opposition all over India will be the final nail in the coffin of 'autocratic' BJP," he added.
Earlier in the day, SPA constituents protested the arrest of TN minister V Senthil Balaji in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate in Coimbatore.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government of M K Stalin and Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi clashed in the Council of Ministers today over Senthil Balaji's arrest in an ED probe. The governor, who agreed to reallocate Senthil's portfolios after receiving the chief minister's recommendation on Thursday, disagreed with Senthil continuing as a minister.
"The Hon'ble Governor has not agreed to V. Senthil Balaji continuing any longer as a Minister of the Council of Ministers, as he is facing criminal proceedings for moral turpitude and is currently in judicial custody," the Raj Bhavan said in a statement.