Chennai: Even as Chief Minister M. K. Stalin had asked the DMK dissenters to quit the posts of Municipal chairman and town panchayat president that they have ‘snatched’ from party allies, the dissenters are in no mood to quit.
In some places in the state the local DMK leaders contested for the posts allocated to the party allies and even won. This led to the leaders of the allies complaining to the DMK district and state leaders who were in-charge of the elections in the local areas respectively.
After the dissenters did not heed to the DMK district level and state-level leaders, the Chief Minister had directly intervened and had asked them to quit from the contest. The Chief Minister, who is also the party president, called for stringent action against those who did not fall in line.
However, all these threats and high-handedness were not heeded to by the DMK councillors who contested the indirect elections to the post of Municipal chairman, vice-chairman, and town panchayat presidents and vice presidents.
In the hometown of the MDMK leader, Vaiko, Thiruvengidam, the town panchayat president post in the DMK alliance was reserved for the MDMK but the DMK leader, C. Sermathurai refused to quit the post after he contested and won against the party ally.
The MDMK Tenkasi District Secretary, T. M. Rajendran while speaking to IANS said, “We have taken up the matter with the DMK minister in-charge of Tenkasi District, KKSSR Ramachandran but Sermathurai has refused to budge. ”
Rajendran said that the minister has assured the MDMK and DMK town secretary that if Sermathurai doesn’t resign, he and the DMK district secretary will be stripped of their posts. However Sermathurai is in no mood to resign and when contacted told IANS, “I have not taken a decision on the matter and if I do that, will let you know.”
Puliyangudi Municipal vice-chairman Antonysamy told IANS that he would not resign from the post which was allocated to the CPI. CPI district secretary Essakidurai has taken up the matter with the party-state leadership to communicate to Stalin and DMK general secretary S. Duraimurugan but nothing happened.
CPI Tenkasi District Secretary, Essakidurai while speaking to IANS said, “We fought the elections together and the DMK candidate, who had contested and won in the indirect elections, is not quitting the post now and we have taken this up with the DMK district and state leadership. However, till now no development has taken place regarding his resignation.”
Congress and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) have taken up the matter with the DMK high command.
