Coming down heavily on AIADMK councillors in the Chennai Corporation for indulging in corrupt practices and exceeding all limits in committing irregularities, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday warned them that unless they mended their ways, she might be forced to dissolve the city Corporation Council.
She gave them a dressing down at a closed-door meeting in the wake of complaints of corruption and illegal activities against city councillors, party sources said.
A section of the media had carried reports that councillors were demanding money for works in their wards.
“I will wait till the end of next month. If I continue to receive complaints, I will dissolve the Council and run it with special officers,” she warned.
According to the sources, the Chief Minister even read out the names of many councillors, including women representatives, from a list she had and made it clear that she would no longer tolerate their actions. Besides names, she mentioned the allegations against them. The AIADMK has 168 councillors, including 66 women in the Corporation Council.
Ms. Jayalalithaa told them that in the election that would be held to the Corporation Council after its dissolution, none of the existing members would be re-nominated for party tickets.
The party sources said some of her remarks indicated that she was also unhappy with representatives in other local bodies in the State.
Underscoring that “excesses” by DMK councillors during the previous regime played a major role in the DMK losing power, she said she had information that AIADMK councillors were collecting money from every possible source.
“When a multi-storeyed building is constructed, you go and collect commission. If a person stores sand or gravel in front of his house for construction purposes, you demand money from him,” she said.
Some women councillors came under severe criticism.
