Tamil Nadu BJP Secretary SG Surya Taken into Custody over Tweet Targeting Madurai MP
SG Surya, the BJP state secretary of Tamil Nadu, was arrested by the cybercrime police in Chennai. The arrest was made in relation to a tweet he posted about Madurai MP Su Venkatesan. The news was reported by ANI, citing police officials.
State BJP President K Annamalai expressed strong disapproval on Twitter, stating that the arrest of Tamil Nadu BJP State Secretary SG Surya is highly condemnable. According to Annamalai, Surya's sole error was unveiling the hypocritical double standards of the communist party, which is allied with DMK.
Critics of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Thiru MK Stalin accuse him of employing authoritarian tactics by employing the state apparatus to stifle free speech and becoming overly sensitive to even the mildest criticism. They argue that such behavior is unbecoming of a democratically elected leader and hints at autocratic tendencies. They further claim that the state is descending into lawlessness under his leadership. Despite these arrests, the critics remain undeterred and committed to conveying the challenging truths.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to CPI Councilor Viswanathan, Tamil Nadu BJP State Secretary Suryah highlighted a distressing incident involving a sanitation worker from Madurai named Pennadam Parishad. Tragically, the worker passed away while on duty due to being compelled to work in fecal water, which caused an allergic reaction in his body.
In his letter, SG Suryah strongly criticized Viswanathan for his hypocrisy, as he had knowingly compelled the deceased sanitation worker to engage in manual scavenging, which is illegal. Suryah attached the letter to a tweet on his Twitter account to bring attention to this issue.
In the tweet, Suryah criticized Madurai MP Venkatesan for his silence, accusing him of engaging in divisive politics. Suryah expressed that Venkatesan's approach reeked more than a cesspool, and urged him to find a way to live as a compassionate human being.
Following the Chennai Metropolitan Session court's ruling on Friday, State Minister Senthil Balaji has been placed in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) until June 23. The decision is related to an alleged money laundering case. Subsequently, Tamil Nadu BJP Secretary Suryah's arrest occurred in the aftermath of this development.
ED arrested Senthil Balaji on Wednesday in relation to a cash-for-jobs scandal that took place during the previous AIADMK government led by Jayalalithaa. During that time, Balaji served as the transport minister.
The local court denied bail to Senthil Balaji. His lawyer, A Saravanan, stated that the court instructed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) not to transfer Balaji from the hospital, where he is receiving treatment for a heart-related condition.
In addition, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has called for the questioning of Senthil Balaji's brother R V Ashok Kumar, personal assistant B Shanmugam, and several others in relation to a suspected money laundering case connected to the cash-for-jobs scandal. The questioning is scheduled to take place next week.