Mystery of the Missing Dy Mayor
Chennai, Tamil Nadu (India):
Mystery shrouds the whereabouts of Chennai Corporation Deputy Mayor ‘Karate’ R Thyagarajan. The deputy mayor of Chennai Municipal Corporation, ‘Karata’ Thiagarajan, has gone missing for the last ten days after reportedly falling out of favour with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha.
Mr Thiagarajan, who left the now-defunct Tamil Manila Congress (TMC) to join the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and became the deputy mayor, has been running the show ever since Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) elected mayor M K Stalin was forced to give up the post in favour of the MLA’s seat under a new law enacted by the Tamil Nadu Assembly after the AIADMK’s return to power.
Until recently, he was considered close to the powers that be though he has had tussles with the corporation commissioner Vijayakumar over the allotment of lands, tenders for hoardings, etc.
Reports have it that he became persona non grata after a city councilor attempted to commit self-immolation in the corporation premises. Top AIDMK leaders suspect that the move was instigated by Mr Thiagarajan and directed as much against Mr Vijayakumar as against Ms Jayalalitha. There is no official word on why he has gone underground though reports have it that the police are after him in connection with several cases of irregularities.
An inkling of this was provided on Wednesday when the Madras High Court disposed of a petition filed by Kavitha, a slum resident and wife of D Pandian, a class IV employee at the King Institute here, who alleged that police visited her house on September 20 and on October 1 on suspicion that her husband was close to Mr Thiagarajan and threatened her with dire consequences if she did not reveal their whereabouts.
Adding to the mystery is the break-in at the house of Congress legislature party leader S R Balasubramaniam in the city when he was away in Coimbatore.
Oct 07, 2005
S Murari ,Deccan Herald, Chennai
Chennai, Tamil Nadu (India):Mystery shrouds the whereabouts of Chennai Corporation Deputy Mayor ‘Karate’ R Thyagarajan. The deputy mayor of Chennai Municipal Corporation, ‘Karata’ Thiagarajan, has gone missing for the last ten days after reportedly falling out of favour with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha.
Mr Thiagarajan, who left the now-defunct Tamil Manila Congress (TMC) to join the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and became the deputy mayor, has been running the show ever since Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) elected mayor M K Stalin was forced to give up the post in favour of the MLA’s seat under a new law enacted by the Tamil Nadu Assembly after the AIADMK’s return to power.
Until recently, he was considered close to the powers that be though he has had tussles with the corporation commissioner Vijayakumar over the allotment of lands, tenders for hoardings, etc.
Reports have it that he became persona non grata after a city councilor attempted to commit self-immolation in the corporation premises. Top AIDMK leaders suspect that the move was instigated by Mr Thiagarajan and directed as much against Mr Vijayakumar as against Ms Jayalalitha. There is no official word on why he has gone underground though reports have it that the police are after him in connection with several cases of irregularities.
An inkling of this was provided on Wednesday when the Madras High Court disposed of a petition filed by Kavitha, a slum resident and wife of D Pandian, a class IV employee at the King Institute here, who alleged that police visited her house on September 20 and on October 1 on suspicion that her husband was close to Mr Thiagarajan and threatened her with dire consequences if she did not reveal their whereabouts.
Adding to the mystery is the break-in at the house of Congress legislature party leader S R Balasubramaniam in the city when he was away in Coimbatore.
Oct 07, 2005
S Murari ,Deccan Herald, Chennai
