The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Municipality ignoring graffiti by DMK, says MDMK

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 30, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Municipality ignoring graffiti by DMK, says MDMK

Staff Reporter

Government officials deny any bias and say crackdown will continue

TAMBARAM: Members of the Tambaram unit of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) on Wednesday charged the Tambaram Municipality with ignoring poll graffiti made by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) while cracking down on wall paintings made by them.

According to the MDMK workers, staff of the Municipality were acting at the behest of S.R. Raja, DMK chairman of the local body. Refuting the allegations, the authorities said they would remove all graffiti, irrespective of whether it was made by the ruling party or the Opposition.

Kubera Jaishankar, MDMK town secretary, Tambaram, said since Wednesday morning municipal authorities were applying a coat of paint over paintings made by their party cadres. This they are doing even on those walls for which they had got written sanction from the building owners. Further, only those paintings urging people to vote for the AIADMK-MDMK combine were being targeted, he said. "Municipality workers have turned a blind eye to graffiti by DMK men. Why this bias," asked Mr. Jaishankar.

Citing the Model Code of Conduct, he said it was permitted to erect flagstaffs and banners, paste notices and write slogans with the consent of the building owner.

Government officials, while conceding that the code of conduct had permitted painting of slogans with permission from the building owners, said it was modified recently.

Except villages, in no other place could political parties write slogans even if they had got permission.

While categorically stating that there was no bias, they would crack down against graffiti by all parties.

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