Central minister Pon Radhakrishnan yesterday wondered why human rights organisations, the Election Commission and others were “silent” on the deaths of people at election rallies addressed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
“It is strange why human rights organisations and the Election Commission are silent. People in large numbers are ferried to attend Jayalalithaa’s meetings and are housed like cattle inside an enclosure,” Radhakrishnan, minister of state for road transport and highways and shipping, told reporters here yesterday. 
Four people who attended Jayalalithaa’s two rallies at Virudhachalam and Salem died due to heat.
A large section of the crowd was either brought to the rally ground in trucks and buses or had come on their own from nearby areas.
Radhakrishnan also wondered why no action has been taken against organisers of the AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa’s two election rallies where the deaths took place.
Asked about political parties changing their candidates, the Lok Sabha member from Kanyakumari said if the changes are made due to genuine reasons -family circumstances of the candidates - then it was understandable.
“But like a game of chess the political parties are replacing the candidates,” he remarked.
The ruling AIADMK, and the opposition DMK and PMK have announced new candidates in place of the names announced earlier.