Over a week after meeting Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit over the Kodanad controversy, the DMK staged a protest outside the Raj Bhavan in Chennai on Thursday, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami. A 16-minute long documentary by Mathew Samuel of Narada News raked up a storm after it alleged that the April 2017 break-in and murder at the tea estate of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was a conspiracy by Palaniswami to retrieve sensitive documents.
DMK district secretaries and cadre led by party President MK Stalin staged a demonstration outside the Governor’s residence alleging inaction his inaction despite a formal complaint petition being filed by the party. Earlier last week, MK Stalin who is also the Leader of the Opposition met with the Governor Banwarilal Purohit demanding the President of India be made aware of the situation.
The DMK has also demanded a Special Investigation Team probe into the case and called for the resignation of Chief Minister Palaniswami. The investigative report on the sensational break-in and murder of watchman Om Bahadur in April 2017 was aired to the press at the Delhi Press Club on January 11. Two men, Sayan and 'Walayar' Manoj, allegedly part of the gang that attempted to break in to the 200-acre estate, appear in the video and claim that the job was ordered by Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami. The duo was arrested in New Delhi shortly after. The Chief Minister filed a civil defamation suit at the Madras High Court, claiming damages to the tune of Rs 1.1 crore from Mathew Samuel and six others.
A delegation of the AIADMK had also met the Governor in an attempt to ‘present facts.’ Speaking to reporters outside the Raj Bhavan, AIADMK Deputy Coordinator KP Munusamy who led the delegation along with Deputy Coordinator R Vaithilingam had said, “Apprehensive about his party’s defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, Stalin submitted a petition to the Governor to discredit the AIADMK’s good governance and the growing popularity of the Chief Minister. We told the Governor that it was the DMK’s attempt to seek political mileage.”