DMK hits out at TN govt over removal of Stalin's name, CM inspects desalination plant

Chennai, Jul 6 (PTI) The opposition DMK on Monday lashed out at the ruling TVK over the alleged removal of a plaque containing its leader M K Stalin's name for a desalination plant, and barely hours later Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay inspected the facility. Vijay, who was accompanied by senior officials, undertook an inspection at the 110 MLD and 150 MLD plants and tasted the water. He directed the officials to expedite the work and ensure that the drinking water requirements of the areas under Greater Chennai Corporation, Tambaram corporation, and 20 neighbouring village panchayats are met soon. A senior official refuted the DMK's claim, saying the plaque containing Stalin's name was temporarily taken down for restoration due to structural damage. It will be reinstalled soon, he added. Amidst escalating political feud between the two parties, the DMK took strong exception to the removal of the plaque for the 150 million litres per day (MLD) capacity second phase of the Nemmeli desalination plant located about 48 km from here, saying the action was tantamount to "erasing" Dravidian model government project and affixing the TVK "sticker". The Rs 1,516 crore project was commissioned by Stalin in February 2024 during his tenure as Chief Minister to provide drinking water to around nine lakh residents in Chennai's southern suburbs and the IT corridor. While the DMK claimed that the plaque was removed ahead of CM Vijay's visit, an official denied any such move. In a strongly worded statement, the DMK condemned the removal, saying it was an act of "welcoming fear and incompetence". It sought to know how the ruling dispensation could stoop to "erasing" the history of Chennai's drinking water solution. The recent weeks has seen heightened tension between the two parties following the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam accusing the DMK of attempting to poach its legislators and also the arrest of former DMK minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan in a case relating to his derogatory remarks against the chief minister. A DMK delegation under its organising secretary R S Bharathi submitted a memorandum to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on July 4, raising serious concerns over the alleged illegal arrest, custodial coercion, and attempts to induce defection of elected representatives through the misuse of police machinery. The memorandum also highlighted allegations of inducements offered to MLAs to switch parties and raised concerns regarding unauthorised individuals participating in official government proceedings. "They (DMK) urged immediate constitutional intervention, an independent enquiry, and appropriate action to safeguard democratic institutions," Arlekar had said in a statement on 'X'. The DMK had even approached the Supreme Court seeking to restrain the TVK ministers from making statements over the September 27, 2025, stampede in Karur. In the statement, the DMK further said the Nemmeli desalination plant project was initiated in 2006 during the tenure of its patriarch and then chief minster M Karunanidhi. Stalin was the Local Administration Minister then. After becoming CM, Stalin laid the foundation stone for the project expansion, which was completed in 2024. PTI JSP JSP SA