PMK puts flag on road protesting DMK flag on temple land

VANIYAMBADI: Tension prevailed in Girisamudram village panchayat, around 2 km from Vaniyambadi, after PMK cadre installed their party flag in the middle of the road in protest against the DMK erecting its party flag on a temple land in the vicinity, on Sunday evening.

Sources said that DMK cadre installed their party flagpole on a land belonging to Desamuthu Mariamman Temple at Girisamudram to celebrate former chief minister and DMK stalwart CN Annadurai’s birth anniversary. When the news about this spread in the region, it infuriated local residents and they demanded the DMK flagpole to be removed.

However, after nearly a month, PMK cadre upped the ante and demanded that the local village head (oor nattammai) order its removal. When the latter pleaded his helplessness, local PMK functionaries threatened to install their party flagpole in the middle of the road leading from the national highway into the village.

PMK men, led by party district secretary Balu, erected their party flag in the middle of the road resulting in heated arguments between them and police who rushed to the spot on information.

Though police and revenue officials pleaded with the PMK men to remove their flagpole, they demanded to remove the DMK flagpole to heed their request.

Following this, an urgent meeting of the village elders was convened and a resolution - that no flags or banners of political parties should be put up on temple land – was passed.

Ganesh a local resident said, “the DMK, which refused to relent, finally removed their flagpole following which PMK cadre also removed theirs much to the relief of the police.”