The DMK on Monday questioned the erection of banners with images of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and other local ministers in their respective districts and ruling party MLAs in huge numbers near ‘Fair Price Shops’ through which the ‘Pongal cash gift’ of ₹2,500 was being distributed to the public across Tamil Nadu.
DMK organisation secretary R.S. Bharathi wrote to Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Secretary to Co-Operation, Food and Consumer Protection Department, Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation and Registrar of Co-Operative Societies, flagging the issue.
“What cannot be done directly, cannot be done indirectly also. But, in violation of the said settled legal principle, the ruling AIADMK party is indulging in such activities to nullify the order of the Honourable High Court,” he said.
The letter mentioned that the State Government had earlier given an undertaking that ‘tokens issued by the Civil Supplies department alone will be accepted at ration shops for distribution of Pongal cash gift of ₹2500 and that no tokens issued by any other political parties/persons will be accepted.
A final order was passed in January by the Madras High Court clearly directing that no political leader’s photos shall be printed in the tokens being distributed by the Government, the letter said.
The DMK said that ‘violation of assurance given to the court also amounts to contempt of court’ and that ‘directions issued by the court in rem shall bind the executives and shall be implemented without any deviation or violation.
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