Proving rumors doing rounds valid, Tirunelveli Mayor P M Saravanan and his Coimbatore counterpart Kalpana Anandakumar tendered their resignations to the respective corporation commissioners on Wednesday. Both leaders belonged to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Tamil Nadu's ruling party led by chief minister MK Stalin.
In Tirunelveli, the infighting within the local body has been at its peak ever since the councillors took charge in 2022. Multiple complaints have been lodged against Mayor Saravanan with the DMK high command saying that he has been a blockade in carrying out development activities in the corporation. In December 2023 the DMK councillors had brought a no-confidence motion against their own mayor. A day before the no-confidence motion, the DMK leadership managed to herd the councillors to the nearby hotels. But on January 12, all the councillors including the opposition AIADMK boycotted the motion and so it failed.
However, there was simmering anger and frustration among the DMK councillors against the mayor. Incidentally in March 2024, M Indra, Tirunelveli ward 7 councillor submitted her resignation to the corporation commissioner Shubham Dnyandeorao Thakare protesting against the mayor Saravanan and corporation officials for not allowing her to do any development works in the ward. In Tirunelveli, the DMK won 44 out of the 55 seats in the 2022 election.
In Coimbatore, however, the infighting did not come out in the open. Coimbatore mayor Kalpana was the choice of former minister V Senthil Balaji who is in jail over a cash-for-job scam case. Kalpana, the first woman mayor of Coimbatore, has been facing a huge backlash from her own party colleagues and councilors. They accused the mayor and her husband Anandakumar of corruption.
Several councilors have accused her of withholding approval to accept land donated for a road project in Chinnavedampatti in October 2023. Though she had denied these claims, the controversies did not die down. In fact, Kalpana has been camping in Chennai to meet the high command and clarify about the allegations against her.
Kalpana cited health and other personal reasons for her quitting.
Not just the councillors of the two corporations, but the MLAs have also been perturbed by the bureaucracy and the party seniors in their region.
According to sources, at least four MLAs in the Tiruchirapalli district have submitted a detailed letter to the Chief Minister’s Office with complaints against the Trichy corporation commissioner. Recently all the ward councillors in Srivaikuntam tendered their resignation citing noncooperation by the block development officer.
Sources say that Kalpana and Saravanan resigned from the mayor's post on strict instructions from the party leadership and Udhayanidhi Stalin, the CM's son, is involved. It seems the DMK, after the massive victory in the Lok Sabha election is in a course correction mode, mostly in the party districts where the infighting is at its peak.
Incidentally in the local administration department, headed by party veteran KN Nehru, there have been huge factional feuds in every district administration.
The infighting within the party and reports of non-cooperation from the bureaucracy has turned into a thorn in the flesh for the ruling DMK which is yet to overcome the damage caused by the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy.
