Chennai: In what is perhaps the strongest indication yet of his position within the party, Mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy was ‘not invited’ to attend a congregation of AIADMK councillors with ministers at the party headquarters on Wednesday.
Instead, the councillors were led by deputy mayor P. Benjamin and the meeting, which lasted for about an hour.
Senior ministers issued a warning to errant councillors. Finance minister O. Paneerselvam and minister for electricity ‘Natham’ R. Viswanathan pulled up the councillors for inviting public wrath.
“There are numerous complaints against councillors and this has reached Amma’s (Jayalalithaa’s) ears. There is a common complaint that you (councillors) are not attending phone calls from the public. Please behave accordingly and continue addressing their grievances”, Paneerselvam reportedly said.
Viswanathan also gave a dressing down to the councillors before insisting that civic amenities in all the wards should improve within a short span.
“Ensure that your wards are taken care of so that it does not reflect in the assembly polls,” Viswanathan said.
Councillors, who had participated in the meeting, told Deccan Chronicle that besides the warning notice, they were asked to work for the victory of the party and its chief
J. Jayalalithaa in all 22 constituencies in Chennai. “We were told to improve our interactions with the public even more as at the ground level our actions will create an impact on the voters’ mind,” said a councillor, preferring anonymity.
Interestingly, councillors suggested that there was no talk regarding the damage caused by floods.
Amma appreciated the work that we did during the floods and encouraged us to do more such public service with added vigour,” a woman councillor noted.
