Scuffle at Katpadi venue to welcome CM returning home from Tirupati

A 15-minute stopover by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at Mettukulam village near Katpadi on Saturday while proceeding to Salem after his visit to Tirupati earlier in the day witnessed some heated scenes between the public and the security personnel, making senior AIADMK functionaries to openly criticise Minister KC Veeramani-also the party’s district secretary-and the police, sources said.

Though only around 500 were present at the spot, the reportedly poor arrangements resulted in the media being put at discomfort while at work, while senior party functionaries were almost seemed to be pushed away by Vellore west district secretary KC Veeramani and the CM’s security personnel when they came forward to present bouquets and shawls.

WG Mohan, the Wallajahpet town secretary for nearly 30 years, and other senior partymen were also shoved around, making them get furious over the incident. At least two of them bluntly told the police that they were wantonly preventing people from meeting the CM and that they would be directly responsible for the latter becoming unpopular during poll time, sources said.

The only notable incident was when Anitha, the widow of constable Sakthivel, who reportedly died in harness, fell at the Chief Minister’s feet, seeking his help for a government job as she lamented of almost being penniless. The CM promised to do the needful.

Contrary to the usual practice of seeking a list of party VIPs in advance to prevent such untoward incidents, the CM’s visit saw Minister Veeramani and the police at the receiving end of party cadre’s ire, sources said. While senior AIADMK functionaries had to wait in a queue, lower-level workers and seemingly total strangers accessed the stage first, much to the former’s chagrin, they added.

Offering a contrasting picture, a similar stopover arranged by Labour Minister Nilofer Kafeel at the Vaniyambadi bypass was found organised, though the crowd was almost double that of Vellore. The crowd also consisted of a sizeable number of the fair sex whereas in Vellore, there were only found to be a handful of party women, with some locals watching from outside the security perimeter.

Land measuring nearly five-and-a-half acres was donated to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) by board member and AIADMK legislator from Ulundurpet constituency of Kallakuruchi district in Tamil Nadu, R Kumaraguru, here on Saturday. The documents were handed over to TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at Tirumala.