MDMK General Secretary Vaiko today urged the Tamil Nadu government to take immediate steps to seek the release of 10 persons, hailing from Tuticorin, who were arrested on charges of smuggling red sanders by the Forest Department of Andhra Pradesh.

The Government should intervene and seek their release before they were beaten brutally and get false charges foisted against them. Also, the Andhra Pradesh Government should take action against the erring Forest Department officials, Vaiko told reporters here.

On the pre-poll survey, showing People Welfare Front (PWF) in poor light, Vaiko, who was the coordinator of the four-party Front, alleged that DMK was behind the survey and PWF would form the next government and implement its common minimum programme.

Stating that the PWF had already extended invitation to Tamil Maanila Congress and DMDK to join the Front, he expressed hope that both the parties would be joining the PWF soon.

PWF would give a clean, corruption-free Government with total prohibition and utilise the service of honest officials like Sahayam for this, he said.

On the ongoing government employees strike, Vaiko said that AIADMK government was functioning like a fascist regime, while DMK, which had done nothing, was trying to fish in troubled waters.

Vaiko termed as the “biggest false of 21st Century”, the claims made by the AIADMK that it had fulfilled all its election promises.