6 days ago
Stalin orders Madurai zonal chiefs to quit amid property tax scam
Madurai: In a political purge within the DMK's Madurai unit, chief minister
M K Stalin
ordered all five zonal chairpersons of the Madurai corporation to resign from their posts. The move followed the recent expulsion of the mayor's husband from the party and came amid the recent property tax scam.
The zonal chairpersons are Vasuki Sasikumar (Madurai East), Saravana Bhuvaneshwari (Madurai North), Pandi Selvi (Madurai Central), Mugesh Sharma (Madurai South), and V Suvitha (Madurai West).
Highly placed sources from DMK said the directive was issued during Stalin's ongoing 'Udanpirappe Vaa' one-on-one outreach with party functionaries, where he warned that positions would be withdrawn wherever necessary, without leniency.
The discontent simmered for months, especially after a controversial corporation council meeting in May. The council meeting, which coincided with a consultative meeting chaired by commercial taxes minister P Moorthy, ahead of DMK's general council meeting, was held without quorum. Of the 100 councillors, only 25 were present initially. With the support of AIADMK councillors, quorum was managed, and resolutions were passed — an unusual move that triggered concerns within DMK ranks.
In the lead-up to the party's general council meeting in Madurai on May 29, the party suspended mayor Indrani Ponvasanth's husband, Vasanth. A directive from DMK general secretary Durai Murugan cited that Vasanth acted against party interests. Sources said he insisted on conducting the corporation meeting despite internal opposition, creating a rift in the local leadership.
Adding to the controversy, a property tax scam rocked the city corporation.
A 10-month probe by the central crime branch of Madurai city police uncovered large-scale irregularities in the property tax assessment process by changing the data in the Urban Tree Information System (UTIS). At least five temporary revenue staff were arrested for allegedly reducing property tax for more than 150 buildings, causing financial loss to the Madurai corporation.
Official sources confirmed that the role of zonal chairpersons was also under scrutiny.
Intelligence reports sent to the DMK leadership reportedly allege that several zone heads may have colluded with local bill collectors in the scam.
According to party sources, minister of municipal administration K N Nehru, commercial taxes minister P Moorthy, and IT minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan met all the zonal chairpersons recently and held discussions in Madurai on Monday.
"We met the mayor and the chairpersons to review and speed up civic works ahead of the elections, not for any internal party matter.
The party high command will make decisions regarding resignations, Nehru informed TOI. However, a highly placed party source, on condition of anonymity, said that the party leadership is also unhappy with the functioning of the mayor, and she may not continue in the post for long.
When contacted, Vasuki Sasikumar said she had not received any official intimation about her resignation. "If I receive a directive, I will respond accordingly," she told TOI.
However, DMK sources said all five zonal chairpersons have to resign, and communication in this regard might not have reached them. The other four zonal chairpersons were unavailable for comment.
