DMK MLA G V Markandeyan released on bail, accuses Tamil Nadu government of authoritarianism

DMK MLA G V Markandeyan was released on conditional bail after his arrest over alleged remarks against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. Following his release, he accused the government of authoritarianism and vowed that the DMK would continue to raise its voice in the Assembly

Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu): DMK MLA G V Markandeyan, who was released on bail on Tuesday, accused the state government of acting with an “authoritarian mindset” and “attempting to strip away democratic rights.”

The Vilathikulam legislator said imprisonment was not a new experience for the DMK.

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He noted that former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was jailed during the anti-Hindi agitations to protect Tamil identity, and that the party’s current leader had also spent a year in prison during protests in support of farmers’ rights.

“The bars of prison gates cannot break us; we will stand tall,” Markandeyan told reporters here, adding that the party was prepared to face “a thousand prisons” rather than allow its views to be suppressed.

Referring to the political developments involving Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin while he was in prison, Markandeyan said, “Even so, the Legislative Assembly is convening tomorrow. They think that by beating and suppressing us like this, we won’t speak in the Assembly. There will be severe repercussions.”

Markandeyan was arrested by the Thoothukudi District Crime Branch (DCB) police on July 20.

The arrest followed a complaint by a TVK functionary, alleging that during a DMK public meeting in Kovilpatti on July 18, Markandeyan made defamatory and threatening remarks, including saying that DMK legislators would “break the bones” of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay inside the Legislative Assembly.

After his bail petitions were dismissed by the Principal District and Sessions Court in Thoothukudi, the Madras High Court granted him conditional bail on August 3.

On Tuesday, after being released from Palayamkottai Central Prison, Markandeyan compared his imprisonment to the struggles of several prominent leaders who had also endured incarceration.

Drawing a contrast between the previous and present governments, he claimed that the five-year tenure of M.K. Stalin delivered exemplary governance in Tamil Nadu. In contrast, he alleged that within just three months of the present government taking office, the state had witnessed rising murders, robberies, concerns over women’s safety, and distress among farmers due to the Cauvery water shortage.

Addressing the remarks that led to his arrest, including references to a “steel body”, Markandeyan said such expressions were part of the regional dialect commonly spoken in the Thoothukudi and Vilathikulam regions.

He further said the Chief Minister should evolve from a “reels” Chief Minister into a “real” Chief Minister by speaking more maturely.

Asked about his bail conditions, Markandeyan said he had not yet read the order in full but understood that he had been instructed to refrain from making excessive remarks about the Chief Minister.

He also clarified that he was not required to mark attendance at a police station on days when the Legislative Assembly was in session.

Despite what he described as attempts to intimidate the party, Markandeyan asserted that DMK cadres remained resolute and would continue to discharge their democratic responsibilities in the Assembly.