One month of Vidiyal

The newly formed DMK government under Chief Minister MK Stalin completed the first month on June 7. Just a day after taking oath as Chief Minister, MK Stalin imposed a full lockdown (something that he was against just a week before the results) for a period of 14 days starting from May 10 to May 24.

Back then he had said that the lives and livelihoods in the state are not in a position to bear the brunt of another lockdown imposed by the government.

However, the lockdown announced by Chief Minister MK Stalin has been in continuation for more than a month now.

The DMK in its manifesto had announced a slew of populist measures some of which were part of its manifesto. They had promised that that they would be providing ₹4000 as cash relief to all rice card holders in view of the pandemic induced lockdown. However, only ₹2000 has been paid and that too hasn’t reached many people. It had decreased the price of Aavin milk by ₹3 which is bound to push the state owned cooperative into loss in the long run. The government had also announced free travel for women in state transport, a department that is already ailing and struggling to meet finances.

Speaking of finances, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan who had criticized the AIADMK government for the state’s financial condition, has been making news for matter unrelated to his portfolios. He has been busy picking fights and blocking people on Twitter apart from indulging in singing praises about himself and his lineage. His only achievement seems to have been selling Tamil Nadu government’s securities for ₹3000 crores as stocks.

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Apart from this, a lot has happened on ground that keeps reminding one that it is the DMK that is in power. Here is a compilation of all such incidents that characterizes the DMK regime. Let us start with the recent ones:

1. DMK cadres put up a stage right in front of a Perumal Temple in Chennai’s Royapettah area and distributed chicken and mutton biryani to people on the occasion of Karunanidhi’s birth anniversary. DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran and Thousand Lights MLA Ezhilan Naganathan presided over the biryani distribution event.

2. A bakery owned by AIADMK cadre in Vadippatti in Madurai district was completely smashed to smithereens. Police arrested 4 persons including a DMK cadre named Ashok.

3. A piece of government land in Melmonavur village of Vellore district  was encroached by a DMK cadre and was later reclaimed following complaints by locals.

4. Misa Pandian, the former Deputy Mayor of Madurai and a DMK office bearer, went to the Jaihindpuram police station with his relative and intimidated Inspector Sethumani Madhavan to file a complaint against the person he didn’t like.

5. Patients and general public in Tiruvallur district alleged that medical equipment, including oxygen cylinders allotted to government hospitals, were being diverted to Indira Hospital, which is owned by DMK MLA Rajendran

6. Over 60 families have been rendered homeless in Thiruvottriyur due to atrocities committed by DMK cadres in the area.

7. Minister of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and the Member of Legislative Assembly from Harbour Constituency while speaking at an event in Chennai attacked the north Indian community saying that they keep getting richer and richer because of Dravidian parties and not the BJP. He also commented on their voting preferences saying that they keep supporting BJP out of illusion.

8. DMK cadres intimidated the head of a panchayat council, who was providing corona relief funds to the public, in the village of Pudupakkam near Ponneri in Tiruvallur district.

9. Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Sakkarapani threatened to take severe action on small traders and vendors for rise in vegetable prices soared as people flocked to markets ahead of the strict lockdown.

10. A DMK cadre assaulted a Biryani shop owner in Nungambakkam, Chennai.

11. The Tamil Nadu government’s Department of Industries has issued an advertisement for land acquisition to build a crude oil refinery. The land to be acquired includes 2.37 acres of land belonging to the Agastheeswarar Swamy and Srinivasa Perumal Swamy temples in Narimanam, Nagapattinam district. These 2.37 acres are agricultural lands. A 9 MMTPA crude oil refinery of the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited would be set up in the Narimanam Village in Nagapattinam district. The DMK, when it was in opposition, was a staunch opponent of methane and gas projects. But now, it is not only acquiring agricultural land but also setting up a crude oil refinery in the temple land.

12. DMK cadres threatened daily wage workers at the Kumalam Paddy Procurement centre to not work there as their men would come to work.

13. A drunk DMK cadre threatened a female police officer for stopping his car for checking.

14. DMK cadres arrived and stopped Vaniyambadi AIADMK MLA Senthilkumar from providing corona relief funds, claiming that new government is that of the DMK.

15. SI Malarvizhi was transferred from Mayilankkarai to Attur Women’s Police Station after her attempt to apprehend DMK cadres who bought additional liquor.

16. A traffic sub-inspector in Thanjavur who was involved in an argument with a DMK cadre was transferred overnight to the Department of Armed Reserve Police.

17. DMK cadres identified as Aashiq, Siyad, Nawab, Sagul, and Shaukath in Madhukarai Municipality took to throwing crackers at the home of an AIADMK cadre Josephn and burnt the poster of AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa that was placed outside his house. The explosion caused injuries to some of the members in the household.

18.  DMK MLA from Mannargudi TRB Raja was caught using mobile phone in the Assembly violating the protocol.

19. Ramalingam, the DMK MLA from Namakkal, absconded from the spot after relatives of a COVID patient tried to express their grievance about the unavailability of beds and oxygen.

20. A complaint has been lodged against a DMK office bearer in Tirupattur district for usurping land by placing a generator in the premises of Tirupattur Lion’s Club.

21. A hygiene worker belonging to Royapuram, Chennai was attacked by a DMK office bearer.

22. A hotel belonging to an AIADMK cadre in Nilakottai was attacked and demolished by DMK cadres.

23.  An ‘Amma Unavagam’ located in J.J Nagar near Maduravoyal, Chennai was attacked by DMK goons. Men belonging to the DMK tore down the board with title ‘Amma Unavagam’ and also broke the pictures of the late AIADMK supremo.

24.  DMK goons in Karur district ransacked a shop belonging to an AIADMK cadre causing extensive damage to the property along with a person getting injured seriously.

25, Last but not the least. Power cuts has been on the rise across the state reminding people of the dreaded years of 2006-11 when the state witnessed power cuts for more than 8 hours.

As several media outlets supportive of the DMK say, ‘This is just a trailer. Main picture is yet to come’, which we will be witnessing in the next 5 years.

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