Chennai: Visuals of Chief Minister M K Stalin visiting the house of a Narikorava family at Poonjeri in Chengalpattu district on Deepavali Day after the launch of a slew of welfare schemes worth Rs 4.53 crore benefitting 282 persons went viral on social and other media, wowing the people.
Two beneficiaries of the schemes meant for the Narikorva and Irula communities, Bhavani and Ashwini, welcomed the Chief Minister to their homes when they spoke at the function, prompting Stalin to pay a visit to their colonies.
Photographs of Stalin inside the house of Ashwini were widely circulated in social media and many people immediately identified the woman, who had already become a media sensation. A picture of Ashwini, sitting next to State HR & CE Minister P K Sekarbabu for lunch at a temple in Mamallapuram last week had already caught the imagination of many people.
A YouTube channel had earlier featured Ashwini complaining about being thrown from the free lunch served at the temple, along with her people, had led to the HR & CE department tracking her down and making her sit on the high table for lunch.
Ashwini had also raised her protest against bus drivers not stopping the vehicle for her and other women from her community and thus preventing them from availing of the free bus ride for women.
Stalin distributed house pattas for 81 persons on Deepavali Day, besides handing over old-age pensions, family cards, voter id cards, Scheduled Tribe caste certificates for 88 Irulars, MBC caste certificates for 34 Narikoravars, 25 Tribal Welfare Board cards, orders of undergoing vocational training for 18 Narikorvars and several benefits.
