TENKASI/TIRUNELVELI: DMK chairmen and vice-chairmen, who defeated candidates of their allies against the seat-sharing pact, refused to step down in most municipalities and town panchayats of southern districts despite instructions from party president and Chief Minister MK Stalin.
After Thiruvengadam town panchayat's new DMK chairman C Sermathurai refused to resign from his post, MDMK district secretary TM Rajendran and DMK town secretary Balraj jointly took up the matter with minister-cum-party in charge to Tenkasi, KKSSR Ramachandran on Sunday.
A DMK functionary who met the minister said, "He assured that if the rebel chairmen and vice-chairmen don’t resign, they and the district secretary would be stripped of their party posts." When contacted, Sermathurai told The New Indian Express that he had not decided about resigning. "I will inform if I take any such decision," he added.
As Thiruvengadam town remains an MDMK stronghold and is home to its chief Vaiko, his party considers its chairman post prestigious. "This is where Vaiko delivered his first speech for the DMK in front of the former Tirunelveli district secretary Ratnavel Pandian," recalled TM Rajendran.
Similarly, Subramanian, husband of Veeravanallur town panchayat chairman S Chitra who defeated DMK ally CPM's candidate, said she would not resign and is in touch with the party headquarters. CPM functionaries from Tirunelveli asked DMK leaders to intervene.
Puliyangudi municipality's vice-chairman A Antonysamy said he would not resign. The DMK allotted his post to CPI, whose district secretary T Esakkidurai rushed Kovilpatti to meet his party State secretary R Mutharasan in this connection. "The posts snatched from us should be given to us as per the seat-sharing pact. DMK should act against their rebels," demanded Esakkidurai.
When contacted, Sivagiri town panchayat's vice-chairman G Vignesh said he does not even think of resigning. "The CPI cannot claim my post as the DMK allotted it the chairman post. My father and mother had implemented several schemes for Sivagiri. Hoping I would do the same, 14 out of 18 councillors elected me," he added.