Friday, August 18, 2017


Tamil Nadu CM forced to wind up MGR centenary celebration meet following ruckus

Julie Mariappan| TNN | Aug 17, 2017, 04:06 PM IST


CHENNAI: Members of the village administrative staffs association on Thursday disrupted the MGR centenary celebrations held in Chennai, forcing chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, who was presiding over it, and his cabinet to abruptly call it off.

The function began at 11am, an hour behind schedule. It was the first event by staff of a government department, including village administrative officers, village assistants and land survey staff, celebrating the former CM's centenary. With most of his cabinet colleagues present, Palaniswami began his speech at around noon.

As many as 2,000 staff members were keenly listening to the speech at Kalaivanar Arangam, inside and outside the imposing structure. The moment the CM ended his ten-minute-long speech, detailing the effective functioning of revenue department and its staff for the welfare of people, TN village assistants association secretary Shanmuga Sundaram shouted from one of the front rows, stunning the dignitaries on stage. "What have you done to us?" he asked, lifting up his hands. Seven senior bureaucrats on stage, including the CM secretaries were perplexed.

Tension was palpable among the gathering. Ministers were seen reaching out to revenue minister RB Udayakumar and bring some order.

Sundaram alleged that their demand to resolve salary disparity was not responded to by the CM. "We are not getting salary on a par with even 'D' grade staffs, despite putting in so many years and working for public welfare and neither do we get full salary nor dearness allowance," Sundaram said.

When many participants took the exit route in protest, Palaniswami abruptly ended left the venue along with his cabinet colleagues, without giving away mementos to the office-bearers of the associations. Later, Udayakumar announced that government would begin preliminary talks with the association members at the same venue. "The demands are being considered," the minister told TOI later.

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