AIADMK MLAs detained for blocking road to protest integration of university named after Jayalalithaa

The Opposition party members staged a protest to show their dissent against the government’s move to integrate a university named after late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa with Annamalai University.

Despite the intervention of Assembly Speaker Appavu, who told the Opposition MLAs that they will be provided with an opportunity to register their remarks in the session, the Opposition walked out of the assembly even before Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi tabled the Tamil Nadu University Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021. AIADMK’s ally BJP too opposed the move.

The AIADMK legislators staged a ‘road-roko’ (block the streets) and said the DMK government is acting with a political vendetta. The police took the MLAs in a bus, detained them at a nearby marriage hall and released them after a few hours.

Addressing the media, Pannerselvam said the AIADMK government had sought permission from the Governor and Syndicate to name the university after late AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa. “With a political vendetta, the DMK government has introduced the bill. We protested against it before it was tabled at the assembly, the Speaker didn’t provide us a chance to speak. Amma (Jayalalithaa) had introduced so many schemes for the welfare of the students. Her rule was a golden era, so many higher education institutions were started in the state. No other Chief Minister has achieved more than Amma in any state,” he said.

As per reports, in order to convert the Annamalai University from a unitary type to an affiliating type, by affiliating colleges in Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi and Mayiladuthurai districts, amendments were done to the Annamalai University Act, 2013.

Along with the amendments, the Bharathidasan University Act, 1981 and a proposal to repeal the Dr J Jayalalithaa University Act, 2021 were tabled in the assembly.