Party cadres face off over wall paintings

CHENNAI: AIADMK workers in north Chennai are angry that they were stopped by Chennai Corporation staff from painting on some walls to congratulate their leader Jayalalithaa on the eve of her birthday on February 24. They have threatened to retaliate by defacing wall paintings of chief minister M Karunanidhi and his son M K Stalin.
"Our madam's birthday is coming. We wanted to congratulate her by painting some messages but corporation officials stopped us.The DMK has occupied the walls of all the government and corporation buildings. We have petitioned the zonal officer (of the corporation) and we will also start an agitation. If they don't listen to us we will remove all paintings of Karunanidhi and Statin from the walls of the city," P K Sekar Babu, north Chennai district secretary of AIADMK, said.
Mayor M Subramaniam, however, rubbished the allegation.
"Painting is prohibited on the walls of the 3,000 corporation buildings and along four major roads, Anna Salai, Kamarajar Salai, R K Salai and Thiruvottiyur High Road. But AIADMK men are always adamant on painting and writing on the walls of corporation buildings. We can't allow it," said Subramaniam.
Walls are the ultimate political battleground in Chennai and just one glance at them is sufficient to tell which party is ruling Tamil Nadu. When the AIADMK was in power, a sombre-looking Jayalalithaa usually loomed over Chennai and now with the DMK in power, portraits of Karunanidhi and Stalin adorn the walls of the city.
Often, the CM and his deputy are presented together. Now with Stalin's birthday round the corner as well (March 1), artists are pushing the boundaries of their creativity to give Karunanidhi's heir-apparent an image makeover.
A wall on Poonamallee High Road shows an armour-clad — but smiling — Stalin holding a sword in one hand and the DMK flag in the other. Another in Kilpauk has him astride a horse carrying the party flag. In the coming days, one can expect more such creative outpourings — something that is bound to irk the AIADMK.
"As it is they have taken most of the walls. If we happen to use even one or two walls to honour our madam, DMK men come immediately to stop us. They have police protection. We are not going to allow this," thundered Sekar Babu.