What leaders are doing while working from home

TNN | Mar 31, 2020, 04.48 AM IST

Chennai: Even during lockdown, politicians are making their presence felt by issuing statements, as usual, to media. The only difference is that they are confined themselves to their comfort zones in their houses. Most leaders said they were spending much of the time over phone, checking WhattsApp messages and making calls.

Some leaders like TNCC chief K S Alagiri had moved to their homes in their native villages to get some leeway to move around, before the lockdown started.

DMK chief M K Stalin starts his day with a walk inside his compound. Much of the time he spends talking to party functionaries, MPs and MLAs over phone to keep himself abreast of the ground reality across the state. He asks party leaders about availability of essential commodities, sanitizers and masks, said a DMK leader. He spends some time with the family members too.

On Monday, Stalin announced that the DMK would donate Rs 1 crore to the chief minister relief fund. A video in which Stalin speaks to party MPs, MLAs and district secretaries was released by the party.

TNCC chief K S Alagiri spends much of his time reading books. He has picked up one on Adi Shankaracharya for now. “As part of public life, I release videos about Covid-19 and ask each party cadre to keep calling at least 50 people to explain need for social distancing and keeping their area clean,” said Alagiri, who is staying in a small village near Chidambaram. He said he was enjoying the greenery and fresh air as his house is surrounded by large tracts of agricultural land.

Alagiri said he was re-discovering himself while reading a book on Adi Shankaracharya. “Shankaracharya’s philosophy brought people together. But I feel it is difficult to control mind,” said Alagiri.

CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan is busy speaking to party functionaries in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. “My day starts with receiving calls from party cadres from across India. They want help for people from their states stuck in Tamil Nadu on account of lockdown. Though migrant workers want to go back to their states, it is not possible now as borders are sealed. I contact our cadres across the state and organise food and place for stay for the migrant workers wherever they are. Many Tamils stuck in Kerala seek help to return to Tamil Nadu. I explain the situation to them,” said Balakrishnan, who is staying in his residence in Chennai.

CPI state secretary R Mutharsan reads books and watches TV to while away time at his home in Chennai. “My routine has changed and the time spent on phone has increased. Confined to our homes, we are unable to provide help to those in need. Many suffer without accommodation and food,” he said. The government should increase the number of tests to identify new cases before there is an exponential growth in the number of patients, he said.