Angry over 2-hour wait for TVK Minister, Tambaram Mayor, deputy Mayor boycott park inauguration

Chennai Mayor Priya 'insults' TVK MLA at corporation school eventCHENNAI: In another flashpoint involving a mayor and the TVK government, Tambaram Mayor Vasanthakumari and Deputy Mayor Kamaraj boycotted a civic event on Wednesday after waiting more than two hours for Minister Sarath Kumar to arrive.

The civic heads, along with other local body representatives, left the venue in protest before the minister's arrival, alleging a lack of respect for elected representatives under the TVK government.

Minister opens park, blames opposition politics

The park at Mullai Nagar in West Tambaram, renovated at a cost of Rs 1.98 crore under a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of a private bank, was scheduled to be inaugurated at 6 pm.

While the mayor, deputy mayor, corporation officials and residents reached the venue on time, the minister did not arrive until around 8 pm. After inaugurating the facility, Sarath Kumar said the delay was unavoidable as he had been attending official engagements with the Chief Minister at the Secretariat.

He accused local representatives of walking out despite a public welfare event and said political opponents would continue to find fault regardless of the government's efforts.

Civic representatives cry foul

Responding to the minister's remarks, the mayor and deputy mayor said they had waited for more than two hours before deciding to leave. They alleged that local body representatives in Tambaram were repeatedly being denied due respect and accused the government of deliberately sidelining elected civic leaders.

The incident comes amid growing discussion over the relationship between the State government and local body representatives, drawing comparisons with the earlier public disagreement involving Chennai Mayor Priya and MLA Pallavi over protocol and representation at official functions.