Minister’s ‘peace mission’ fails as councillors stick to ‘no confidence motion’ against Tirunelveli Mayor

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Tuesday held talks with DMK councillors of Tirunelveli Corporation in a bid to ensure truce between them and Mayor P.M. Saravanan ahead of the ‘no confidence motion’ planned against the Mayor in the council on January 12.

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Tuesday held talks with DMK councillors of Tirunelveli Corporation in a bid to ensure truce between them and Mayor P.M. Saravanan ahead of the ‘no confidence motion’ planned against the Mayor in the council on January 12.

The peace mission has apparently not succeeded after the ruling party councillors have decided to press the ‘no confidence motion’.  “We should be allowed to attend the council meeting to support the ‘no confidence motion’. If not, all the 44 DMK councillors will submit our resignations to the Commissioner,” the councillors said after the meeting with Mr. Thennarasu.

After 38 councillors of the 55 members submitted ‘no confidence motion’ notice against Mr. Saravanan to Commissioner Thakare Shubham Dnyandeorao, he has convened the council meeting on January 12. Since the Mayor’s ouster through ‘no confidence motion’ by its own party councillors would bring a huge embarrassment to the DMK, Mr. Thennarasu, who had already held reconciliatory talks with the councillors a couple of months ago, met them again.

The Minister, who reached here at 5 p.m., held the meeting with the councillors in the absence of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor K.R. Raju in a hotel. However, Palayamkottai MLA M. Abdul Wahab, former Minister and DMK’s Tirunelveli central district secretary T.P.M. Mohideen Khan and former MLA N. Maalairaja participated in the meeting.

“The Mayor, who backstabbed me, has brought disrepute to the party by not fulfilling the genuine public demands. Even during the recent rain, he failed to alleviate the people’s miseries,” said Mr. Wahab.

MMK councillor Rasool Maideen too aired his complaints against Mr. Saravanan.

After listening to the councilors, Mr. Thennarasu told them that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was not happy with the embarrassing developments in Tirunelveli Corporation even though he was fully aware of their emotions.