Sat Oct 19 13:56:46 UTC 2024: Published – October 19, 2024 07:26 pm IST – MADURAI“Where is the Member of Parliament….” posters pasted in some parts of Madurai city have irked the Communist Party of India (Marxist) cadre as they have blamed a few functionaries of the ruling DMK to be behind the act here on Saturday.
The posters, printed in Tamil, claiming to be pasted by the residents/public of Vandiyur here, demanded Madurai MP Su Venkatesan to visit their locality as the roads were bad. After getting elected, the MP had not even come to thank the electorate, the posters said.
However, the CPI (M), which is an ally of the DMK front, has a different tale to tell about the posters.The CPI (M) leaders told The Hindu that about a week ago, Mr. Venkatesan organised a huge gathering of people in the city, who were not given pattas by the government for several years. They submitted a memorandum to the Collector.
Similarly, the MP complained about the pathetic road condition and poor quality of rice served in ration shops. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he had also pointed out the need for restoring waterbodies in Madurai and sought proper monitoring of the works before the northeast monsoon.
On Thursday, the CPI (M) organised a public meeting in Madurai, where the speakers, including Mr. Venkatesan, said that the Communists would not be cowed down by such threats (posters).“We will keep pointing out the defects (such as bad roads) and stage agitations in support of the common man,” they added.
There cannot be a better party and functionaries like the Communists, who toiled for the uplift of the needy and the poor. The administrators (DMK) should take it in the right perspective. The officials should be pulled up, when they did not deliver, the speakers added.
However, a DMK MLA, requesting anonymity, said that when Deputy Chief Minister Udayanidhi Stalin had given pattas to over 10,000 beneficiaries in Madurai recently, such demonstration by the CPI (M), our ally, came as an embarrassment to the government.“The MP could have given a petition to the Collector for action. It was unnecessary to organise a rally, which paralysed vehicle movement and also gave an impression that there were cracks in the alliance.
When a majority of the cadre in DMK were disappointed over giving the MP ticket to the CPI (M) for the second time now, such remarks by the MP led to more friction and disgruntlement.
The MP said that it has been the practice of the Communists to pin-point public demands to the administration. Moreover, as an elected representative, he said that it was his bounden duty. That cannot be looked as an embarrassment, he clarified at the public meeting.A few weeks ago, the city police registered a case under various Sections, including assault based on a petition from a woman (DMK functionary) in which the CPI (M) leader and Deputy Mayor T. Nagarajan’s name figured.
While the AIADMK and the BJP have not expressed their views so far, the recent posters against the MP have created a political buzz in the city.
Published – October 19, 2024 07:26 pm ISTCopyright© 2024, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
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