The DMK on Friday petitioned Chief Secretary K. Shanmugam and the Municipal Administration Department, accusing the ruling AIADMK of “hijacking” Amma Unavagams for deriving political mileage out of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The party sought the framing of a transparent, open and fair scheme of participation of public and political parties interested in bearing the cost of food sold at Amma Unavagams, just as the AIADMK was bearing the cost of the food sold at the canteens in some localities.
The DMK also urged the government to open more Amma Unavagams across the State.
In the petition, R.S. Bharathi, DMK organisation secretary, said that the Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner received cheques from AIADMK district secretaries in north Chennai on the day he approved a circular to distribute free food, using donations received from philanthropists. He also said that newspaper reports claimed that AIADMK district secretaries paid the entire cost of food sold at the canteens in Villivakkam, Kolathur, Egmore, Harbour and Thiru-vi-ka nagar.
“On the contrary, when our party leader M.K. Stalin gave a letter through Sekar Babu on April 14, seeking permission to bear the cost of food sold in the Kolathur constituency, to the Zonal officer Zone VI, no reply has been given till today,” he said. He said the sudden decision to hand over Amma Unavagams “by the illegal decisions of municipal authorities to serve AIADMK’s political ends are highly illegal, arbitrary and a colourable exercise of power”.
The DMK’s petition came on the heels of the municipal authorities’ announcement that it would supply free food at all Amma Unavagams in the city till the lockdown is lifted.
Mr. Bharathi asked how the government could permit municipal authorities to take a “high handed suo moto decision to surrender these canteens to the ruling AIADMK party”.
He charged that the certain municipal authorities were secretly siding with the ruling party and surrendering the functioning of the canteens to the party for their political purposes.
He claimed there were reports of AIADMK cadre taking tokens from the canteens, distributing them to their own workers, leaving the real beneficiaries and public in the lurch.
Mr. Bharathi said the DMK was interested in bearing the cost of food sold at Amma Unavagams across the State and requested the Chief Secretary and the Municipal Administration Department to enable the participation of DMK and other parties, voluntary organisations and philanthropists.
