An altercation broke out between cadres of Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) and the Congress at Tirunelveli Town on Monday over hoisting national flag on a mast for which both the groups claimed rights.
When a group of cadres affiliated to G.K. Vasan-led Tamil Maanila Congress were making arrangements to hoist the flag on a mast near Gandhi statue, a group of Congress cadres, led by former Union Minister R. Dhanushkodi Athithan reached the spot to unfurl the tricolour on the same mast. While the TMC cadres claimed that the mast was installed by Moopanar-led TMC, the Congress cadres argued that it belonged to them.
The police, who arrived at the spot, instructed both the groups not to hoist the flag on the mast under dispute and asked the TMC cadres to submit a complaint, if they preferred. When the TMC cadres left for the police station to lodge a complaint, Congress cadres hoisted the flag.
As the altercation triggered tension for a while, the police registered a case against the Congress cadres, including Mr. Athithan.
Dindigul
Hoisting of the party flag by TMC cadres on Republic Day created a tense situation in Dindigul on Monday.
It has been the practice of the Congress to hoist the national flag on Independence Day and Republic Day every year on the flag pole at Kamaraj statue junction. At other times, the mast is used to fly the party flag. After G.K. Vasan re-launched the TMC, its cadres were waiting for an opportunity to remove the Congress flag and hoist their party flag on the mast. They used the Republic Day to their advantage and hoisted the TMC flag in the early hours of Monday.
When Congress members came to the spot to hoist the national flag, they saw the TMC flag fluttering on the mast. They picked up a quarrel with TMC cadres who refused to bring down their party flag.
TMC functionaries claimed that Vasan supporters only developed the Kamarajar statue roundabout and gave a facelift to it recently.
