Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will on Saturday take part in a grama sabha at the Pappapatti reserved panchayat, which became notorious for not allowing people belonging to the Scheduled Castes to become the head of the caste Hindu-dominated rural local body for 10 years.
The district administration has spruced up the local body for the first-ever visit of a Chief Minister for the grama sabha, to be held on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi. “It is a momentous occasion, as the Chief Minister himself is coming to our panchayat,” said two-time president of Pappapatti, S. Muruganantham.
Along with Pappapatti, Keeripatti and Nattamangalam in the district and Kottakatchiyendal in Virudhunagar had become an eye-sore after local caste Hindus put a spoke into the process of electing the president, after the panchayats were reserved for SCs in 1996.
The election could not be held for 10 years, as eligible persons were not allowed to file nominations. However, when the district administration tried to initiate penal action, the caste Hindus made their SC representatives file nominations, elected them and then forced them to resign.
After the DMK came back to power in 2006, the then Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi, and Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin showed special interest to conduct elections to all the four reserved panchayats.
The then Collector, T. Udhayachandran, took all-out efforts and conducted an election in 2006. “Besides the political will of the government, the strategies of the Collector and the then SP, T.S. Anbu, the continuous efforts of CPI(M) field workers made the poll possible without triggering any social tension,” said Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan.
All elected presidents had the privilege to meet the Chief Minister in Chennai. “Things have changed a lot in the intervening period. I am under no pressure from any quarter, and with the other members, I make independent decisions,” said Mr. Muruganantham.
The Chief Minister will inspect the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society in K. Nattarpatti, visit the Gandhi Memorial on West Masi Street, inaugurate a Khadicraft sale and visit the Gandhi Museum. He will later inspect the site where the Kalaignar Memorial Library has been proposed to be built, and Pudumandapam and Kunnathur Chathiram. Over 1,500 police personnel will be deployed for Mr. Stalin’s visit to the district.
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