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NT Bureau
Chennai, Aug 27:

        Former Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa today demanded the dismissal of State Minister Veerapandi Arumugam for having instigated violence during the rail- roko held to pressurise the Central government for creation of Salem Railway division.

        In a statement here, Jayalalithaa said, 'being a State Minister and hailing from a party which was part of the Union government, Arumugam had instigated violence in the form of a protest.'

        'Train signals were damaged, sleepers were removed and tracks were filled with sand, making hundreds of passengers stranded. But no action has been taken against the Minister and the other DMK men so far. Will things be the same if any opposition party had conducted such a protest?'

        Stating that there were no two opinions in the formation of a railway division in Salem, Jayalalithaa said any protest should be of democratic form. 'We too held demonstrations in the same issue, but without damaging any public property,' she said.

        Jayalalithaa also alleged Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had abolished a law passed during her regime to make political parties reimburse the damage done to property during protests.

        Stating that Karunanidhi, who was capable of getting his 'desired' portfolios in the Union Cabinet, could have avoided the entire protest by just speaking with Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Jayalalithaa said her party would extend full cooperation if the State government comes forward to deal the issue in a constructive way.