A brief commotion broke out at the Municipal Corporation Council meeting in Madurai on Tuesday as a heated argument erupted among councillors over a Minister’s corruption allegations against them. 

For the first time after the TVK formed the government in the State, the Corporation council meeting was held under the leadership of Deputy Mayor T. Nagarajan and Deputy Commissioners. TVK MLAs A. Kallanai, S.R. Thangapandiyan, M.M. Gopison, and S. Karthikeyan participated in the meeting.  

M. Jeyaram, ward 58 DMK councillor, recalling Minister for Energy Resources and Law R. Nirmalkumar’s corruption allegation against the councillors, asked how could the Minister without any valid evidence raise such ‘derogatory’ allegations against the councillors who had rendered service to the people.  

“Ministers do not seem to know what to speak at government functions. At a government function, Minister Nirmalkumar claims that 100 council members of Madurai Corporation have looted money. The Minister is acting against the DMK. If there is a ₹200-crore irregularity, it is the Law Minister who should take action and he can proceed with it himself,” he added.  

Mr. Nagarajan, who responded to it, said Mr. Nirmalkumar’s speech claiming that Madurai Corporation council members had looted money was defamatory. “I have placed a board in my office stating that I will not accept even a single rupee as bribe. It is unacceptable for the Minister to speak in a way that slanders people like me.”  

Meanwhile, a heated argument broke out during the council meeting as DMK councillors labelled Congress members as ‘traitors.’ 

As resolutions were passed, the council members said: “How was Karuppatti Chathiram, located near Rani Mangammal Chathiram opposite to the railway station, demolished even before a resolution was brought forward for it?” 

The Deputy Commissioner replied that Karuppatti Chathiram was considered an unsafe structure, and it was demolished in accordance with a court order. “It had already been handed over to a private entity based on a prior contract given to them. Since the election code of conduct was in place, the resolution could not be passed earlier,“ the official said.  

Following this, accepting the demands of the council members, Mr. Nagarajan announced that the resolution regarding the demolition of Karuppatti Chathiram was being put on hold. 

Madurai East constituency MLA Karthikeyan alleged that the private company did not collect garbage anywhere in the Madurai Corporation limits and was not doing its job.  The payments being made to them must be withheld, he said.  

The payment for the contract company, which handles cleanliness operations in Madurai Corporation, was being withheld, Mr. Nagarajan said.  “The contract is set to expire within three months. Also, steps are being taken to terminate the contract company itself.”   

Ward 35 Councillor S. Janaki confronted the Mayor and Corporation officials for failing to penalise an Assistant Engineer who allegedly used Corporation labourers for personal work.  

Although Mr. Nagarajan promised an official inquiry into the matter, Ms. Janaki rejected the assurance and demanded immediate, strict action against officials engaging in unlawful activities.