DMK MLA Thangam Thennarasu 
Citizen

Reporter's Diary: DMK MLA prefers awareness to ‘loyalty’

Do display pictures of politicians on social networking sites always be spaces reserved for demonstrating loyalty to leadership? There are a few legislators in the state who still seem to believe that the teeny-weeny space could be put to better use, precisely, raise public awareness on life-saving matters.

migrator

Chennai

At least that is what, netizens thought, DMK MLA Thangam Thennarasu (Tiruchuli) had in mind when he posted a profile picture of him wearing seat belt last week. Be it intentional or accidental, some thought has gone in to his choice of the DP, which, among DMK leaders, is a rarity. 

And that too in a party where functionaries are in the habit of having their leader Stalin, sometimes even his actor-son Udayanidhi’s photographs as profile pictures, a cliché even the leadership hardly takes notice of. Ironically, the ‘gesture’ of the former school education minister did not elicit expected response from his leader Stalin despite a few news-hungry journos picking up the matter and tagging him on Twitter. 

In fact, the mechanical engineer turned MLA from a renowned political family is no stranger to using DP space or rather social networking sites to speak out, unmindful of the response. Thennarasu is quite a regular on Facebook and Twitter, mainly voicing views on socially significant issues like reservation and NEET, which also reflect on his DP. 

No wonder Thennarasu’ smartness was recognised by even DMK leader M Karunanidhi who had selected him to supervise the construction of new secretariat turned multi-super specialty hospital in Government Omandurar Estate and Anna library in Kottupuram, overlooking a platoon of Stalin’s commanders. 

— K Karthikeyan, Chennai

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