COIMBATORE: Owning moral responsibility for the violence and police firing, which claimed 13 lives in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami should step down, MDMK General Secretary Vaiko demanded on Tuesday.

“The firing was a pre-planned one by the Government, which was functioning as a puppet in the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vaiko told reporters at the airport here. Stating that police, in civil dress, fired at the people with snipers, he alleged that to justify the incident, police themselves had torched many vehicles.

“Tamil Nadu police are functioning like Hitler, who had set fire to Parliament and blamed Communists for the incident,” Vaiko said. “Considering this, Chief Minister should own the moral responsibility for the violence and firing and step down,” he added.

Even if Supreme Court allowed Sterlite to operate, he without any political flags, will gather nearly one lakh people and fight against the unit, Vaiko said. Stating that he has lodged a complaint against Naam Tamizhar Katchi for accusing him of taking money from Sterlite through memes, Vaiko said that one of his relatives had committed suicide on the issue.