CHENNAI: Even as the groundswell of protests continue in Tamil Nadu’s southern districts over the Mullaiperiyar Dam row with Kerala, the protests seemed to take a decidedly ‘anti-national’ tone at a rally held in Chennai on Sunday evening. Organisers and leaders speaking at a public meeting at the end of the march war-ned New Delhi over and over again that if it allowed the Mullaiperiyar to be broken, they would ‘break with the Indian Union’.The meeting, organised by the May 17 Movement, employed rhetoric on this front, for a large part borrowed from the demand for Dravidanadu — a separate Tamil nation — that was given up in 1960s. Speakers at the meeting pointed out that they had gathered for the cause and not under the banners of their respective organisations.Around 5,000 people mar-ched from the Kannagi Statue to the Lighthouse, holding banners condemning the fear psychosis created by the Kerala government and its failure to curb attacks on Ta-milians living in Kerala. They also decried an English language daily for being treacherously lopsided. They called upon all Tamilians to boycott the daily.MDMK leader Vaiko said, “This is a spontaneous crowd, largely of youth. They ...have come out to show how emotive the issue is. We... feel bringing down our dam is preposterous.”Speakers at the meeting included luminaries from the spheres of politics, cinema and literature. “We must unite as Tamilians...,” said director Bharathirajaa. “If a separate country is the only way to secure the rights of our people, so it shall be.” May 17 Movement leader Thirumurugan, poet Thamarai, directors Cheran, Gautaman and Thangar Bachchan, former MLA Velmurugan were among others who took participated.
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