DMK councilors stage walkout, boycotting discussion on proposals

COIMBATORE: Accusing City Mayor SM Velusamy of being undemocratic for not allowing time for the councillors to study and present their views on the budget proposals during the discussion session, all DMK councillors boycotted the discussion and staged a walkout immediately after the corporation budget was presented in the council hall on Friday. They also raised slogans against the mayor and his AIADMK council for not delivering on promises announced in the previous budget and not giving adequate space for a healthy debate and discussion in the council.
"It is really unfortunate that the council presents the budget in the morning and two hours later, the discussion on the proposal takes place. It does not make sense as councillors should get time to study the relevance of the proposals to identify the merits and shortcomings," said A Nandhakumar, DMK councillor and Leader of Opposition.
Another DMK councillor, Meena Loganathan from Rathinapuri, arrived for the meeting wearing a helmet as a symbolic reminder for the unruly behaviour she suffered in the hands of male AIADMK councillors on the budget presentation day last year. A heated argument between her and a couple of AIADMK councillors soon became a no holds barred round of pushing and shoving amidst hurling of abuses outside the council hall last year.
"We had clearly pointed out that if this is the manner in which the council is being run then we have no option but to boycott the budget discussion," said PV Subramanian, DMK councillor from ward no 47.
However, an AIADMK councillor on condition of anonymity told TOI that the DMK councillors should have stayed on and debated against the budget proposals during the discussion. He pointed out that after the DMK councillors walked out there was absolutely no chance of any scrutiny on the budget proposals from anyone in the council.