The AIADMK circulated a video showing Tamil Nadu Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan (PTR) questioning why a recurring drainage problem had resurfaced in his Madurai constituency, even though it had been addressed when he served as an Opposition MLA. The opposition party used the footage to ridicule the ruling DMK, arguing that his own comments highlighted what they claimed was the government’s poor performance.
During a field inspection in Madurai, PTR, who is the State Finance and Human Resource Management Minister, visited Manjamedu in Komaspalayam within the Madurai Central constituency to interact with residents and listen to civic complaints. Local people reported that a drainage canal in the neighborhood had become blocked again, leading to an unpleasant smell and unsanitary surroundings. Upon witnessing the situation, the minister expressed surprise and frustration, asking residents how the same issue could return after it had been previously solved when he was in the Opposition.
Addressing the crowd, he questioned what had changed since then, including whether the population had grown or if any new factors had contributed to the recurring problem. He immediately called government officials to the location and asked them to provide a justification for the renewed drainage failure. PTR reiterated that such issues did not exist during his tenure as an Opposition MLA and questioned why they were now appearing during his time in the ruling party.
Seizing upon his remarks, the AIADMK’s IT Wing posted the video on social media and asserted that his statements were effectively an assessment of the DMK government’s shortcomings. In their post, they argued that PTR himself was acknowledging that conditions in his constituency were better when he was not part of the ruling administration. They further claimed that the minister’s comparison showed that the DMK had failed to improve civic services, even in the constituency of one of its own senior leaders, portraying the situation as evidence of the government’s inability to deliver on its promises.
