Chennai: The ruling AIADMK has erected huge banners along a 2km stretch of Anna Salai ahead of a government event to celebrate the hundredth birth anniversary of former chief minister MG Ramchandran.
The banners, which have photographs of chief minister Edapadi K Palaniswamy and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam along with pictures of MGR and former CM Jayalalithaa, have damaged the pavements in the area, inconveniencing the public.
It was at the same stretch that huge banners of Karunanidhi were erected recently. The banners were put up despite DMK president urging the party cadre to not do so. “I reiterate that the party cadre must not erect banners, posters, flex boards. There should be no inconvenience to the public because of our public meetings,” MK Stalin had tweeted earlier.
In October 2017, the Madras high court had banned the use of “photographs or pictures” of living persons on “banners, flex boards and signboards” across the state. The court also directed the chief secretary to ensure that the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1959 were complied with.
Fans of Rajinikanth, too, had in March this year, erected banners with pictures at Maduravoyil in Chennai where Rajinikanth had unveiled a statue of MGR. But after receiving flak, Rajini had apologised to the public.
At the event, Rajini said, “I think my fans have erected banners, disturbing free flow of public movement in violation of the high court orders. I request fans not to indulge in such activities. I apologise for the inconvenience.”
It may be noted that in November last year, a software engineer from the US, K Ragupathi, who had returned to his hometown in Coimbatore to find a bride, died after he rammed into a wooden structure that was installed in the district to welcome the chief minister and the deputy chief minister to an event.
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