PM’s photo removed from TN village office, reinstated after protests

Protests erupted at the Veppathur town panchayat in Tamil Nadu after the chairperson of the panchayat removed a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the village office.

BJP workers in Kumbakonam complained to Thiruvadairmurathur police seeking legal action against the Veppathur town panchayat head Anjammal, who removed PM's photograph from the panchayat office.

A widely-circulated video of the photograph being removed led to the controversy.

Chandrasekharan, BJP Councilor from Veppathur town panchayat, had handed over the photograph of the Prime Minister to the executive officer of the panchayat on April 6, and had asked her to display it at the office of the civic body.

But on April 12, the newly-elected head of the panchayat, Anjammal, along with her husband, Mathiazhagan, removed the photograph and handed it over to the executive officer.

The panchayat head is from the ruling DMK.

While the BJP workers complained to the police to take strict action against the panchayath head and her husband, local party leaders said that as per the protocol, photographs of the President and Prime Minister are displayed at the Raj Bhavan, the CM's office and all the head offices of different department.

Anjammal reinstated the photograph at the pachayat office after the public outrage.