CHENNAI: With no sitting MLA of the state assembly turning up to have a cup of coffee at
Valluvar Kottam
on Sunday, organisers of the "Coffee with MLAs" event settled for a mock skit in which artists wearing MLA face masks took questions from the public.
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NGO Arappor Iyakkam and other volunteer groups, which organised the event, had invited MLAs from Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, besides chief minister
Edappadi K Palaniswami and former CM O Panneerselvam. It was intended to provide an opportunity for the audience to question MLAs, especially those from the Sasikala faction, over their actions during the confidence vote held last month.
Arappor convener,
Jayaram Venkatesan
, who had recently released video compilations of jailed AIADMK general secretary
V K Sasikala's alleged ill-gotten wealth and benami properties, declared that he insists on referring to her family as the "Mafia". On the absence of the invitees, he said that the legislators were afraid to come out and face public ire.
The organisers decided to dial the mobile numbers of a handful of MLAs to figure out the reasons for their absence. These calls were relayed on the loudspeaker much to the delight of the hundreds who had gathered. The call to municipal administration minister S P Velumani evoked sharp reactions from the crowd, when his personal assistant failed to provide a definitive reason for Velumani's non-participation and abruptly cut the call.
During the event, two people affected by alleged land grabbing at the hands of the Sasikala family, spoke about their long-running battle to get back the land they own. Noted Carnatic vocalist T M Krishna, who was also a participant, asked the audience to stop voting for "symbol or superstar." Krishna, who sang the Subramania Bharathi poem 'Aaduvome Paaduvome' for the crowd, added that "politicians had made politics a bad word."