இன்று ஜனநாயகத்தின் கறுப்பு நாள். மக்கள் விரோத அரசு அகற்றப்பட தொடர்ந்து போராடுவோம். https://t.co/kqcnjcCeTZ

DMK working president and Leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin denounced February 18, 2017, as a black day in the history of Indian democracy, declaring an uncompromising resolve to wage a continuous public struggle until the newly installed, anti-people AIADMK government is completely removed from power. Stalin issued this resolute statement immediately following the controversial trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, where Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami was declared to have won the confidence motion after eighty-nine DMK legislators were forcibly ejected by assembly marshals.

Stalin, whose shirt was torn during the violent scuffle with security personnel inside the assembly chamber, marched to Raj Bhavan with senior colleagues to submit an urgent memorandum to Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao. He argued that conducting a vote of confidence under police siege, without opposition presence, and in defiance of parliamentary norms completely nullified the constitutional validity of the proceedings. Stalin emphasized that democracy was murdered inside the assembly to foist a corrupt proxy regime against the clear desire of the electorate.

The opposition leader declared that this artificial legislative majority cannot withstand the moral judgment of the people. He called upon all democratic forces to resist administrative tyranny.