Fri Mar 28 11:41:11 UTC 2025: ## Thanjavur Mayor Ends Budget Meeting in Disarray Amid Corruption Accusations
**Thanjavur, March 28, 2025** – The Thanjavur Corporation budget meeting ended abruptly on Friday after Mayor S. Ramanathan adjourned the proceedings following accusations of corruption from his own party councillors.
The meeting began with the presentation of a surplus budget, the second consecutive year of a surplus. However, opposition councillors immediately voiced concerns about the corporation’s inefficiency in delivering basic services. DMK councillors then accused Commissioner G. Kannan and other officials of lethargy. Further escalating the situation, AIADMK councillor Manikandan questioned the legality of the “urgent” nature of the meeting and demanded clarification on the agenda items.
The situation deteriorated when DMK councillors Neelakandan, Anand, and others accused the Mayor of accepting bribes to allow the conversion of the convention hall into a cinema theatre, implicating the Commissioner and other officials in the alleged scheme.
An angered Mayor Ramanathan declared all resolutions passed unanimously and abruptly ended the meeting, instructing staff to turn off the lights and fans before leaving the hall. The incident leaves the future of the approved budget and the alleged corruption claims unresolved.
First Piper 