CHENNAI : In a huge embarrassment to RK Nagar MLA T T V Dhinakaran, a group of women on Sunday gathered near a venue where he was to speak and waved Rs 20 currency notes at him. They claimed that Rs 20, which were issued by his supporters as tokens of future bribe money for voting for him in the RK Nagar by-election held in December last year, were just reminders of the unkept promise.
Dhinakaran, who recently found a new party Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, was visting Kasimedu Power Kuppam to inaugurate a ‘thanneer pandal’ (public drinking water booth) set up by his party.
As soon as his vehicle took the Kuppam main road, a group of women, who had gathered near the venue, waved Rs 20 notes at his vehicle. They also shouted slogans, demanding that he pay the money that was promised by his supporters.
“One day before the by-election, we were given Rs 20 each as tokens with promise that we can exchange them for Rs 8000 to Rs 10,000, if we voted for Dhinakaran. The supporters also told us that they were unable to give cash as they were under police surveillance and promised that we would be paid whenever he (Dhinakaran) visited the constituency. It has been more than four months since then and yet we have not been given the promised money,” said a woman from Nethaji Nagar.
As the group of women tried to march towards Dhinakaran’s vehicle, police intercepted the women and dispersed them. Another group of women staged a road blockade briefly, raising slogans against their MLA. Speaking to reporters, Dhinakaran denied having given any promise of bribing voters during by-election and claimed that the protesters were supporters of E Madhusudhanan of the AIADMK, whom he had defeated in the bypoll.
“They (AIADMK) are trying to cover up their failure and humiliate voters. Police should take action against such protesters,” he saidTo a query on Sasikala’s brother V Dhivakaran launching a party, the RK Nagar MLA said, “I am aware who is backing him and there was no truth in his allegations.”Dhinakaran, who was sidelined in the ruling AIADMK, had contested as an independent candidate in the RK Nagar bypoll held on December 21 last year and won by a margin of 40,707 votes against AIADMK’s candidate Madhusudhanan.