# CPI(M) seeks Vijay’s action against chief secretary over protest curb order 2026-08-27T07:43:43+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Tamil Nadu CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam wrote to chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday, alleging that the chief secretary held a meeting with senior officials and instructed several departments to prevent students from joining Left party protests. The CPI(M) called the directive illegal and unconstitutional. Shanmugam also demanded the release of the Machendranathan committee report on the proposed Parandur greenfield airport, which Vijay announced on Monday would be abandoned. The party opposed the Parandur site over concerns about losing water bodies and farmland. The party launched a statewide mass outreach campaign from August 26 to 31, highlighting what it called the adverse impact of the Union government's economic and communal policies. Shanmugam urged the state government to provide relief over rising sugar prices and demanded residential land pattas for families across Tamil Nadu. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The CPI(M) complaint invokes an established pattern of state governments issuing informal directives to keep campuses away from political demonstrations, though such written orders are rare and legally questionable. Under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, peaceful protest and the right to assemble are fundamental rights, but courts have repeatedly upheld reasonable restrictions on student conduct during academic hours. The Machendranathan committee report on the Parandur airport, now shelved after Vijay abandoned the project, was never made public by the previous DMK administration, raising transparency questions that the party now tries to press. The chief minister will have to respond formally to the letter, and how his government handles the chief secretary directive allegation could set a precedent for protest rights in Tamil Nadu. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com Leads with the allegation and frames it as illegal without offering government denial or context This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: C Joseph Vijay, CPI(M), P Shanmugam, Parandur airport, Tamil Nadu Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/cpim-seeks-vijays-action-against-chief-secretary-over-protest-curb-order/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/cpim-seeks-vijays-action-against-chief-secretary-over-protest-curb-order/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/