COIMBATORE: Following outrage over the presence of names of freedom fighter P Kakkan and Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai on a public toilet, the Coimbatore Corporation on Tuesday erased their names by painting over them.

A public toilet, located in the Silver Jubilee area in Anna Nagar in Ward 95 of South Zone, bears their names as ‘Thyagi’ Kakkanji and ‘Perarignar’ Anna Memorial Modern Toilet. Kakkan has also served as an MLA and MP and held ministerial posts.

It drew condemnation from leaders cutting across party lines. In a post on X, BJP state president K Annamalai condemned the Coimbatore Corporation for writing the names of former chief minister CN Annadurai and ‘honest’ leader Kakkan, who served in the Kamaraj cabinet, on a public toilet.

“I strongly condemn the Coimbatore Corporation’s demeaning act of insulting two humble leaders,” he said.

Taking a dig at Chief Minister MK Stalin, who names bus stands and government buildings with taxpayers' money on his father, has named the greatest leaders than him for public toilets to defame them. He also demanded stern action against those involved in the act.

However, a senior official of the corporation said the names of the two leaders were not written down recently.

“They were there even several years ago. But it came to the spotlight only after it was recently painted. Following the controversy, their names were erased,” the official said.