TVK undermining democracy, demotivating local bodies, says Govi Chezhiaan

TIRUCHY: Former minister and DMK legislator Govi Chezhiaan said on Saturday that the TVK government has changed the tradition of the Chief Minister presenting awards to the best-performing local bodies on Independence Day, which, he alleged, is against democratic practices and would discourage civic body heads from improving their performance.

Speaking to reporters in Tiruvidaimarudur in Thanjavur, Chezhiaan said that the practice of selecting the best local body administrations and having the Chief Minister present the awards to their heads had been followed to encourage better performance. “But now, the TVK government has opted to hand over the awards to higher officials of the department, who are expected to distribute them to the respective local body heads. This is against democracy,” he charged.

He said people of the State, who had witnessed democracy being upheld during Assembly proceedings, were now being forced to witness those who had no knowledge of democracy and failed to conduct themselves with dignity on the Assembly floor.

Calling the 100-day TVK government “a reel and not a real one”, Chezhiaan alleged that ministers and party functionaries were more focused on recording videos during their visits and posting them on social media than addressing public welfare issues.

He also demanded that the government stop collecting Rs 20 per bottle at Tasmac outlets and ensure corruption-free governance.

Chezhiaan also condemned the politicisation of Kanimozhi’s participation in the high tea hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, saying there was no hidden agenda behind it.