Stalin arrested, then released on day of DMK protests

Chennai:  MK Stalin, former Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, was detained for a few hours today for leading a demonstration attended by nearly 3000 people. Several other party leaders including actor Khushboo were also arrested with Mr Stalin and were subsequently released.

The DMK is holding protests across the state against what it describes as the government's vendetta. In the last few weeks, several politicians close to DMK chief M Karunanidhi have been arrested on charges that include land-grabbing.

"They imprison our cadre and leaders without any basis and force people to file complaints against us. Let them arrest us only if they have documentary evidence," said Mr Stalin who is Mr Karunanidhi's younger son.

"Let the Tamil Nadu government probe from 2001. Land grabbing by AIADMK leaders will come to light," he added.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, meanwhile, denied the charge that she had unleashed "vendetta politics" against Mr Karunanidhi's partymen, saying that police were acting on "genuine complaints filed by persons with no political backing."

"Land grab complaints had been filed during previous DMK regime also by affected persons but no action was taken then. After AIADMK government took over, victims began thronging police stations and seeing cases swelling in this connection, a special cell was formed to handle them," she said.

"Therefore, this cannot be described as vendetta politics," Ms Jayalalithaa added.

On Saturday, police arrested two DMK strongmen - Chepauk MLA J Anbazhagan and former DMK Minister, Veerapandi Arumugam.

The allegations against Mr Arumugham are that he evicted 32 families in Salem, and continues to occupy their plot under a benami identity. In another part of the city, he has allegedly forced a mill owner to sell his property worth Rs 30 crore for just Rs 6 crore.

In Chennai, DMK MLA Anbazhagan is accused of forcing an entrepreneur in Tirupur sell his Rs 13 crore property for much less.

Ms Jayalalithaa has said that more than 2,000 land grab complaints have been received so far and that the police never acted against these during the DMK regime. However, she has so far been silent on reports of land grab charges against her own minister. Commercial Taxes Minister Agri Krishnamurthy reportedly faces allegations of land grab from his own colleagues.

Ms Jayalalithaa herself faces the accusation of once occupying a bungalow at Siruthavoor on land that was given to landless Dalits.

The DMK and Jayalalithaa's AIADMK share a long and vicious history of political rivalry, manifested regularly through court and police cases against each other.