The Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA R. Annadurai led a verbal attack on former Union Minister and incumbent Member of Parliament M.K. Alagiri at a government function here on Thursday and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders followed suit.
It all happened at a function organised by the Department for Welfare of Differently Abled Persons at the Collectorate here to distribute motor vehicles and hearing aids from the constituency development fund of the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).
The early speakers, including Deputy Mayor R. Gopalakrishnan of the AIADMK and Usilampatti MLA P.V. Kathiravan of All India Forward Bloc, confined their speeches to issues revolving around the welfare of the physically challenged without touching upon politics.
However, addressing the gathering after them, Mr. Annadurai lashed out at Mr. Alagiri for having claimed in an interview to the media on Wednesday that he was instrumental in implementing several public welfare schemes in the district during his tenure as a Union Minister between 2009 and 2013. Appreciating the AIADMK government for redressing grievances promptly, the MLA accused Mr. Alagiri of not having implemented any welfare scheme despite getting the golden chance of being the first Member of Parliament from Madurai to be a part of the Union Cabinet.
“His only achievement is to have constructed a few public toilets. His real face would come to the fore if his performance is gauged through a secret ballot… He would lose even the deposit money if he happens to contest from Madurai during the elections due this year,” the CPI(M) MLA said.
Following him, Madurai Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa, Melur MLA R. Sami and Madurai North MLA A.K. Bose, all belonging to the AIADMK, accused Mr. Alagiri of inaction by stating that they had no choice but to speak politics in a government function since Mr. Annadurai had raised the issue.
Cooperation Minister ‘Sellur’ K. Raju did not hold back and it was learnt later that the Minister had come with a prepared text listing various accusations against Mr. Alagiri.
He said that the MP had not spoken even once in the Parliament for the cause of Madurai.
