In what they called a grand show of support and to ensure welfare of the “People’s Chief Minister” Jayalalithaa, more than 1,500 cadre of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) carried fire pots and offered prayers in Madurai on Sunday evening.
The workers took out processions in small groups from the 16 Pillar Hall, many dressed as Goddess Durga as well as other deities. The party workers pledged their support to the former Chief Minister and said that the prayers would ensure her well-being.
Minister for Cooperation ‘Sellur’ K.Raju, Minister for Revenue R.B. Udayakumar and Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa were present from the top brass of the party and they lit a few fire pots to send the participants on their way. However, none of the leaders lifted the hot pots themselves.
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After its debacle in the Lok Sabha polls, the DMK created more district units to limit the powers of the district secretaries and to give space to new faces in the party organisation. As the organisational polls have gained momentum, there are allegations that these are fair only at the lower levels. As far as the elections for the district secretaries are concerned, it is alleged that the local leaders have come together and struck a compromise among themselves. “Senior leaders in every district formed a cartel and ensured that their men are elected to the district secretary posts,” said a senior leader.
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The week that went by was an “election week,” for the Secretariat too. On Friday last, the biennial poll for the post of president of the Secretariat Association and four other posts took place and in tune with the general trend in elections these days, there was a huge turnout. There were four groups of candidates in the fray and the polling was preceded by hectic campaigning on the part of many contestants.
The verdict came as a surprise to many. The group that swept the poll was “Team,” which relatively maintained a low profile during the campaigning. What was noteworthy was the fact that in recent years, no single group succeeded in getting its nominees elected to all the posts as it happened this time. As in many elections for the legislature or Parliament, the division of opponents' votes played a crucial role in the victory of the Team.
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“Yes sir or No sir” were the curt replies that the Legal Commissioner, U. Sagayam, often heard from the officials of various government departments during his two-day inspection of quarry sites in Madurai. He is investigating the alleged multicrore granite scam on the instructions of the Madras High Court.
Even in the presence of senior officials such as Revenue Divisional Officer or Tahsildar, it is the Village Administrative Officers who are seen briefing Mr. Sagayam whenever he sought clarifications. Officers from at least two departments informed Mr. Sagayam that they had joined their new posts very recently and did not know much about the quarry issues.
“This is not the case when the officials attend review meetings conducted by State-level officers at the Collectorate,” an officer said. Whenever Mr. Sagayam posed a question in common, silence was the answer unless and until he called for explanation from officials belonging to a particular department. While the villagers and elected representatives poured in their anguish non-stop, the officials were not forthcoming at all.
(S. Poorvaja, B. Kolappan, T. Ramakrishnan and S. Sundar)