Due to the massive unemployment caused by the lockdown which was in turn brought about by the coronavirus outbreak, ration cardholders in Tamil Nadu have been given ₹2500 as a Pongal allowance. Other than DMK leader MK Stalin – who, in a meeting, said that the allowance was insufficient and that ₹5,000 should be given instead – all the other parties have welcomed the offer of the Pongal allowance.
However, Minister Dindukkal Srinivasan, as usual, controversially commented that the recipients of the Pongal handout would pay it back to the government – but, through the TASMAC stores. Curiously enough, an old man from Tenkasi has done just that, but has done so quite literally.
P. Ramanathan, a social worker from Tenkasi district took a Demand Draft (DD) of the Pongal prize money of ₹2,500 in the name of the Chief Minister and returned it to the government. He belongs to Thirumalaiyappapuram near Pottalputhur in Tenkasi district and runs an organization called ‘Vanchi Movement’ in the name of Vanchinathan. When he had gone to the ration shop, he was given ₹2,500 in cash along with a Pongal gift bag sponsored by the Tamil Nadu government.
However, he did not want that money. In protest, Ramanathan took the money and returned it to the district attorney. But the district attorney refused to take the money back and said that he could not do anything about it. Infuriated, Ramanathan drew up a Demand Draft payable to the Chief Minister and sent it to the government.