Tension prevailed at Pooluvapatti in Coimbatore district on Saturday after BJP workers installed the portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the town panchayat office, accusing the local body of having rejected their pleas.
The BJP workers alleged that the town panchayat administration had installed a portrait of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at the office but refused to install the Prime Minister’s.
A group of BJP workers, led by M. Baskaran, district secretary of the trade unions affiliated to the party and a former councillor of the panchayat, walked into the office in the morning with a portrait of Mr. Modi and informed the officials of their intent to install it.
As the officials refused permission, one of the workers nailed Mr. Modi’s portrait next to the photo of Karunanidhi. Though a town panchayat official asked the BJP workers to remove the portrait, one of them told him to file a police complaint if he had any problem. The party workers also shouted slogans before leaving the place.
Mr. Baskaran said the Prime Minister’s was among the list of portraits that could be displayed at public offices and buildings. “The panchayat office used to have the photo of the Prime Minister,” he said.
He said the party workers were ready to face action if the local body lodged a complaint with the police. “Next, we are planning to install the Prime Minister’s portrait in all panchayats, town panchayats, post offices, ration shops and cooperative societies,” he said.
The Alandurai police said they had not received any complaint till Sunday.
