TN Pongal bonanza row: Madras HC prohibits use of political banners, pamphlets

The Madras High Court on Friday ordered that no political banners and cutouts must be displayed outside ration shops without valid permission during the distribution of Pongal hampers in Tamil Nadu. The order came on a petition filed by the DMK against the distribution of Pongal bonanza tokens with identification marks of the ruling AIADMK to ration card holders.

The court in its order said that no publicity material of any political party must be used inside the ration shops. It added that while the pictures of the Chief Minister and former Chief Minister can be displayed on the bags in which the Pongal bonanza is distributed, no notices or pamphlets shall be distributed or circulated with party particulars during the process.

The petition, filed by DMK’s Organisation Secretary RS Bharathi, stated that the Tamil Nadu government has a tradition of distributing money for ration card holders in the state for Pongal. Adding that the DMK has no grievance in that regard, the petition accused Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami of having a hidden agenda in announcing the distribution on December 19, despite the earlier announcement making it clear that the distribution will be inaugurated only on January 4.

“The manner and the pattern in which the tokens are being printed circulated and issued to the public at the cost of state exchequer show as if the ‘Pongal gift’ is being given by the ruling AIADMK party, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and ministers of respective areas (sic),” the affidavit added. Pointing out that the Chief Minister’s picture and the pictures of various ministers based on the area of distribution find place on the token, the DMK’s petition stated that the official emblem of the government of Tamil Nadu is nowhere to be found.

“Printing of photographs of the ministers on the token who have contested from the respective constituencies and hailing from the said district amounts to canvassing for a political party at the cost of the state exchequer,” the petition added.

The petition further stated that while ration card holders anyway go to their shops to get the money, the government is using its party workers to distribute the tokens along with the party’s pamphlet. “This advertisement at the cost of State exchequer doesn’t give a level playing field to the other major party like the DMK,” the petition said. It explained that using party workers to distribute tokens gives an impression that the Pongal bonanza is being offered by the AIADMK and not the government. Reiterating that the DMK is not against the distribution of Pongal money, the party said that it is against the ‘devious, manipulative, unscrupulous design of deceiving the people of the State…’

Though the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming Assembly polls is yet to be implemented in Tamil Nadu, such actions by the ruling party will not ensure a level playing field for the elections, which is the basic concept of fair elections to ensure democracy, the petition added.