Petrol bomb incident a serious attack on Constitution, says Murugan

Union Minister of State for Fisheries L. Murugan on Friday described the hurling of a Molotov cocktail at the main entrance of the Raj Bhavan as an assault on the Constitution.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin should take moral responsibility for “the serious threat posed to the life of the Governor”, he said. He also sought a probe by the CBI or the NIA into the incident, as he believed the police and the State government were attempting to cover up the truth.

“The BJP [government at the Centre] has not invoked Article 356 (to dismiss governments) in any State over the past nine years. But what has happened in Tamil Nadu is a serious attack on the Constitution,” he said.

Addressing the media after attending a wedding in Palayamkottai, he claimed that Mr. Stalin, who holds the Police portfolio, was in a deep slumber. “When the Governor, a Constitutional authority, is facing a serious threat, we can’t even imagine what level of safety and security the common man has,” he said.

“The DMK, which does not believe in the Constitution, is abusing and threatening the Governor, a Constitutional authority,” he claimed.

When asked if he was demanding the resignation of Mr. Stalin or favouring the invoking of Article 356 in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Murugan said, “The BJP has not invoked Article 356 in any State in the past 9 years. But in Tamil Nadu, the Constitution is being challenged, and hence Mr. Stalin should take moral responsibility for this serious incident as the State police are under his control.”

The Minister claimed that “acts of expressing solidarity with terror” were occurring in the State as some persons had erected the Palestinian flag in Coimbatore and “pro-Pakistan slogans” were raised in the Cricket World Cup matches at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. “The Tamil Nadu police should not be a mute spectator to these developments,” he said.

When asked about Mr. Murugan’s veiled threat of imposing President’s Rule on Tamil Nadu citing a breakdown in law and order, Minister for Sports Udhayanidhi Stalin said, “Let them think about it.”