Date:29/07/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/07/29/stories/2007072954470600.htm

Tamil Nadu

MDMK supports, BJP decries rail roko

Staff Reporter

Coimbatore: Marumazharchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) said it would support and join the proposed rail roko agitation on July 30 as decided at the all-party meeting held on Friday.

In a statement issued here, the party secretaries R.T. Mariappan and R.R. Mohan Kumar said Kerala was continuously acting against the interests of Tamil Nadu.

Having failed to honour the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Mullaiperiyar issue, political forces in Kerala were trying to thwart the formation of the Salem Railway Division by moving a petition in the Supreme Court, since it would be formed with areas bifurcated from the present Palakkad division.

To protect the interests of Tamil Nadu, the party has urged people to co-operate and bear with the inconvenience caused by avoiding train journey on July 30. Bharatiya Janata Party has dubbed the call for the agitation as an attempt by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to deceive people. Instead of announcing agitations, the ruling DMK should talk to the Communist Party leaders to tell the Kerala Chief Minister to refrain from opposing the Salem division.

National Council Member of the BJP S.R. Seghar said his party would organise agitations to demand the new division should have its headquarters at Coimbatore. It would not participate in the agitation, he added.