Leaders in festive mood over Tasmac opening: LoP

Stalin, who also thanked his district secretaries for helping people through the togetherness campaign during the lockdown, also said the irresponsible AIADMK regime has shown festive spirit in reopening Tasmac outlets, while failing to control the pandemic spread.

Stalin, who led the party district secretaries’ meeting for the first time via video call, said the requests people have been making (to them) through the Ondrinaivom Vaa campaign has led him to doubt if there was a government in this State.

“Does the State have a Chief Minister? Are the ministers functioning? Such is the extent to which people are suffering in the State,” wondered Stalin, who is also the Leader of the Opposition.

Quoting his district secretaries as saying that the State government was lethargic in taking coronavirus prevention measures even after three months, the LoP said that his district secretaries have complained that preventive measures were not taken to control the virus spread, healthy food was not given to the infected patients, hospitals were not properly maintained and PPEs were not distributed to health workers.

District secretaries have opined that the coronavirus spread could have been prevented if an alternative to Koyambedu was found or the wholesale market was allowed to function under proper supervision. The DMK leader said that there could be nothing more irresponsible than the State government, which failed to plan preventive measures to protect people, making festival like elaborate arrangements to reopen Tasmac liquor shops.

The DMK president also took time to thank his district heads who had put effort to reach out to the people, unmindful of the risk of contracting the virus during the lockdown.

Significantly, the video call was not the only first in Saturday’s district secretaries meeting conducted via video call to elicit views from across the State.

For the first time in the recent history of the DMK, a meeting of district secretaries concluded without the general secretary and treasurer attending it.

Also, the meeting took place without it passing resolutions on various issues. Duraimurugan, who had quit treasurer post mid-March for apparent elevation to the post of general secretary, however, attended the meeting from his home. The former treasurer was understood to have suggested to his supporters the general council could be convened online for his elevation. Though some district secretaries had privately discussed the organisational shake up and overreach of Ondrinaivom Vaa, Stalin was learnt to have refused to engage them during Saturday’s meeting.