Chair politics in Tamil Nadu: Mayor refuses to sit under Vijay’s photo, works from sofa instead

MADURAI: A chair in the Tirunelveli mayor’s office became the centre of a political dispute on Monday as mayor G Ramakrishnan chose not to sit beneath chief minister Vijay’s photograph after Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) functionaries insisted that the photo be placed directly above his seat.The mayor instead moved to a sofa nearby and continued his official work. The episode is the latest in a series of disputes across local bodies in Tamil Nadu over the placement of Vijay’s photograph in government offices.“They are creating problems for political reasons and political mileage. It is affecting our work and our ability to serve the public. Two weeks ago, TVK functionaries said their leader’s photograph should be displayed in all rooms of the corporation office, including my chamber. We agreed and put up his photograph. Now, they want it placed at the centre of the room, directly above my chair,” Ramakrishnan said.When the controversy first arose two weeks ago, Ramakrishnan signalled his opposition by placing a small photograph of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and former chief minister MK Stalin on his table and continued with the proceedings of the council meeting.A similar dispute surfaced earlier in Coimbatore corporation. Mayor R Ranganayaki said, “They have his photograph in all rooms. But I objected to having it in my personal room allotted to me by the corporation. Later, they cited a government order, and we agreed to display it. However, we refused to replace our leader Stalin’s photograph.”The debate spread to Karur during a council meeting on Monday. DMK councillors sought Stalin’s photograph beside Vijay’s. AIADMK and Congress members objected, carrying photographs of Edappadi K Palaniswami and K Kamaraj and demanding equal treatment for their leaders.In Coonoor, photographs of Stalin and Palaniswami displayed alongside Vijay’s photograph were removed after TVK cadres complained to the Nilgiris collector, prompting police deployment at the municipality office to prevent clashes.Commenting on it, political analyst R Ravichandran said, “This fight over photographs is really a reflection of the lack of coordination between TVK MLAs and DMK or AIADMK councillors on the ground. In many places, civic works are moving slowly because the two sides are not working together. With local body elections approaching, councillors know their tenure is nearing its end.”The risk is that residents get caught in the middle. “Several drainage projects are still incomplete and, with the monsoon approaching, people could end up paying the price for this political tussle” said resident-activist D Ramakrishnan from Chennai.