Coimbatore, July 8 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Minister Nirmal Kumar on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the DMK and the AIADMK, claiming that both parties were rapidly losing their political strength and would soon be left without cadres.

He also accused the opposition of attempting to prevent Chief Minister Joseph Vijay from visiting Karur and of using legal proceedings to silence the government.

Interacting with mediapersons, Nirmal Kumar questioned why the DMK was allegedly apprehensive about the Chief Minister’s proposed visit to Karur, where the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the alleged custodial death of temple security guard Ajith Kumar.

Referring to a petition submitted to Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar seeking a CBI probe into the incident, Nirmal Kumar alleged that the opposition’s real objective was to prevent the Chief Minister from visiting the district.

“If the Chief Minister’s visit is of no significance, why are they making repeated attempts to prevent him from going to Karur?” the minister asked.

“They have been filing petitions continuously. If they are so confident, why are they worried about his visit?”

He said the CBI investigation was already underway and pointed out that the agency had not yet filed its charge sheet in the case.

According to him, the opposition was trying to exploit the investigation for political purposes and weaken the ruling government.

“For the past one week, they have been trying to silence both our party and our Chief Minister by using this case. Every one of those attempts has failed,” Nirmal Kumar said.

The minister further alleged that the same political parties had earlier questioned the need for a CBI investigation but were now approaching the courts with fresh petitions on the issue.

Claiming that both the DMK and the AIADMK had exhausted all political options against the ruling government, Nirmal Kumar said their strategies had failed to make an impact.

“All the efforts made by the DMK and the AIADMK have ended in failure. Both parties are steadily weakening. The day is not far when there will be hardly anyone left in either of these parties,” he said.

The remarks come amid escalating political tensions in Tamil Nadu over the Karur custodial death case and the continuing war of words between the ruling TVK government and the opposition parties.

–IANS

aal/pgh