Velachery, a locality in the southern part of Chennai, finds itself in the grip of a humanitarian crisis following the relentless downpour brought by Cyclone Michaung.
As the city grapples with the aftermath of the cyclone, Velachery stands out as one of the worst-affected areas, with severe water inundation cutting off residents from essential supplies and communication with the rest of the city.
In the midst of this crisis, Aasan Maulana, the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Velachery and a member of the Congress party, paid a visit to assess the situation. However, Maulana found himself in the eye of a storm owing to the comments he made to a private YouTube channel which came across as insensitive and apathetic.
He had said “When such heavy rains occur, these incidents will happen. All this is very ordinary when it comes to nature’s fury. We have to accept it as it is. When the height of the Velachery lake was increased, the excess water will naturally inundate the other areas. We have to accept it.”
These comments of the Congress MLA had led to much outrage angering the residents who have been reeling under water for the past 3 days.
He was confronted today by the public today when he was making his way through the area. As Maulana walked, angry residents voiced out their grievances and questioned the efficacy of his representation.
But, instead of offering solace or apologizing, the Velachery Congress MLA reactde to the mounting anger by snatching the phone from the hands of the person recording the incident. The MLA, seemingly embarrassed by the situation, resorted to blaming the public for political motives, alleging that they belonged to rival political parties and were deliberately targeting him. His men even accused a woman who had lamented the grievances of being an AIADMK member when in fact she was just a member of the public.
அறிவார்ந்த ஐடி விங் எவளவு தடுத்தாலும் உண்மையை மறைக்க முடியாது#WhatNonsense_is_this_DMK pic.twitter.com/lgvf9Lad2y
— Gowri Sankar D (@GowriSankarD_) December 7, 2023
Witnesses report that the MLA faced a barrage of criticism, with one resident even asking him, “You can’t even answer the public. You can’t even serve the public and you call yourself an MLA? Get lost man!”
The frustration among the people was palpable, as they highlighted their struggles with the absence of food, clean water, and essential supplies.
Congress MLA from Velachery, Chennai lambasted and chased away by angry residents over his insensitive remarks "This is the maximum we can do, nothing more than this" which he made earlier.#Velachery #ChennaiRains2023 #ChennaiFloods2023 #Congress pic.twitter.com/yHQzkFdnuj
— The Commune (@TheCommuneMag) December 7, 2023
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.