Stalin meets Alagiris man in prison

TIRUCHY: DMK Treasurer MK Stlain visited his party functionaries, including Union Minister M K Alagiri’s closest aide ‘Attack’ Pandi, who has been detained under the Goondas Act, in the Central prison here on Tuesday.Stalin was accompanied by ex-ministers KN Nehru, N Selvaraj and MRK Panneer Selvam. Sources said that Stalin spent more time with ‘Attack’ Pandi than other functionaries.Later, speaking to reporters outside the prison, Stalin maintained that the AIADMK government was foisting cases against the DMK functionaries willingly.When asked about the case registered against the party Chief M Karunanidhi, Stalin quipped that ‘cases are there against Jayalalithaa too’, and left the place .Earlier, Stalin, accompanied by former DMK ministers, came to Palayamkottai Central Prison at 10.50 am. Sources said that he met Poondi Kalaivanan, Madurai Urban district secretary Thalapathi, Madurai Corporation East Zone chairman Gurusamy and Pottu Suresh and others at the prison. The meeting lasted for about 25 minutes. DMK Treasurer and former deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict on ‘Samacheer Kalvi’ and said the government should implement it immediately.Coming out of the Palayamkottai prison after meeting Tiruvarur DMK secretary Poondi Kalaivanan and others, Stalin said that the verdict was an expected one and it gave him great happiness.To another question, Stalin said, “if we are given a separate seating area in the Assembly, we will return to the Assembly”. Despite repeated queries, he did not divulge whom he met at the prison. Former DMK ministers, including KN Nehru, KKSSR Ramachandran, MRK Paneerselvam, Thangam Thennarasu, TPM Mohideen, Suresh Rajan, Poongothai, Geetha Jeevan, former speaker R Avudaiappan among others accompanied him.Though DMK functionaries were allowed in, journalists were prevented at the second gate of the prison. Irked by this journalists squatted in front of the gate. Finally, they were allowed to go inside the prison premises. When Stalin was about to leave the prison, a few person attempted to show black flags. But police drove them away.