Day after meeting EPS, Thangamani tests +ve

Fort St George, housing the State Secretariat, offices of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, his deputy O Panneerselvam and AIADMK party headquarters at Royapettah, have now come on the corona radar after senior AIADMK leader and Minister for Electricity P Thangamani, who had visited these places, tested positive for coronavirus and was hospitalised on Wednesday.

The Minister underwent a corona test on Tuesday and his samples turned out to be positive the next day. Thangamani’s supporting staff and a family member have also tested positive, a source confirmed, adding that all TN Ministers have been advised to undergo fresh COVID tests. Thangamani on Tuesday attended a function with Palaniswami at the Secretariat. Earlier this week, he had also attended a high-level meeting led by AIADMK convenor O Panneerselvam at the party headquarters in Royapettah.

The ruling AIADMK, which started preliminary work related to the party reorganisation, has also unofficially suspended crucial key meetings for the next few days after two senior Ministers from western Tamil Nadu also tested positive.

According to party sources, almost all Ministers are periodically taking weekly corona tests. The sources also hinted that families of another Minister from western Tamil Nadu and his driver tested positive. However, the Minister’s first sample tests were negative.

“Test results of more VVIPs are awaited and those frequenting party headquarters and EB Minister’s chamber have been asked to stay alert and be under quarantine for the next four days,” a source said. Senior AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam and R Vaithilingam also advised their support staff to self-quarantine and suspended their political activities.

In a tweet, DMK president M K Stalin said he had spoken to Thangamani over the phone and wished him a speedy recovery. OPS, in a tweet, said he was praying to the almighty to ensure the speedy recovery of Thangamani. “The AIADMK ministers would recover and soon return to public life,” he added.

Higher Education Minister K P Anbalagan and former minister B Valarmathi are being treated for COVID and are slowly recovering. More than 10 legislators from the ruling AIADMK and the DMK have been afflicted with the virus, but Coimbatore legislator Amman Arjunan is the only politician admitted to a government hospital and all others chose private hospitals for treatment.