Deceased cadre named AIADMK poll incharge

S Ramakrishnan, Triupattur district MGR mandram joint secretary and a native of Ambur, died six months ago. 

However, party cadres in Tiruvannamalai and Tirupattur districts were shocked when the party top brass announced his name as poll commissioner for the Vembakkam east panchayat union in Tiruvannamalai district. 

The deceased functionary was tasked with receiving nominations for the party polls to the town and PU positions in the area.

Furious at the party being reduced to a laughing stock, diehard cadre Sadasivam fumed: “This clearly shows that earlier complaints of Tirupattur district secretary and former minister KC Veeramani not bothering about cadres is true. If he had been in touch with grass-root cadres, he would have known about Ramakrishnan’s death.” Also under fire was Ambur town secretary Mathiazhagan, who as local party functionary, should have informed the district secretary who would then have passed on the information to the party HQ. 

“When a functionary died during Amma’s time, she would on the receipt of information hand over a bereavement letter to the functionary’s family, some of whom even today have such letters written more than 20 years ago,” added P Natarajan of Vellore.

“It is now known that Mathiazhagan was at fault for failing to inform Veeramani who thus did not tell his higher-ups and hence this faux pas,” Natarajan added. 

However, the ordinary worker was peeved at this turn of events. With the party in the doldrums in the integrated Vellore district, such incidents show the party in a bad light.

“With Veeramani not having any post now, why he failed to look into issues of cadres is something we hope the high command will take note of,” said KS Sathasivam of Thorapadi in Vellore.