A civic infrastructure inauguration programme attended by MK Stalin in his Kolathur constituency on Sunday has drawn criticism after school students were reportedly asked to attend the event despite it being a weekly holiday.
As reported in Times of India, the Chief Minister inaugurated a series of civic infrastructure projects and welfare initiatives worth over ₹45 crore in the constituency, including a new government school building constructed under the MLA Constituency Development Fund. The building, located in Srinivasa Nagar in the Thiru Vi Ka Nagar zone, contains 14 classrooms and was built to strengthen educational infrastructure in the area.
However, the event sparked controversy after reports emerged that students were asked to come to school on Sunday to attend the inauguration ceremony.
Calling students to school on a holiday purely for a political event can placedunnecessary pressure on them. It is not clear why the children had to be present on a non-working day when the event primarily served as an official inauguration ceremony.
Several netizens also raised concerns that government functions should not disrupt students’ holidays, particularly when schools remain officially closed on Sundays.
During the event, Stalin opened several civic projects including the upgraded Murasoli Maran Park, the Kalaignar Centenary Coin Memorial, a modern library and Mudhalvar Padaippagam facility in Jawahar Nagar, and the Kolathur Modern Market complex on Paper Mills Road.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated upgraded sewage pumping stations in Kolathur and later participated in a welfare distribution programme where assistance was provided to around 3,200 Muslim beneficiaries ahead of the Ramzan season.
Despite the development announcements, the decision to bring students to school on a Sunday has drawn criticism from some quarters, who argued that children should not be made to attend events for publicity purposes during their weekly holiday.
It isn’t fair that students were asked to come to school on a Sunday just for the inauguration of a primary school building under the constituency development fund in #Kolathur. (#MKStalin #DMK) Calling children to school on a holiday purely for publicity purposes puts… pic.twitter.com/UYFdqGYaza
— Harish M (@chnmharish) March 8, 2026
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