Panaiyur rages as Vijay's TVK disrupts life at quiet Chennai locality

Residents living near the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam's (TVK) headquarters in Panaiyur, Chennai, on Friday (February 6) objected after unplanned parking of vehicles and allegedly unauthorised barricading during a party-related event there caused them much inconvenience. They questioned the decision to hold the assembly in a residential area and asked why it was not organised at a bigger venue.

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Several workers and supporters of the party, numbering around 5,000, turned up at the office on the first day itself as the TVK began distributing application forms for aspirants who intend to contest on its ticket in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The TVK was launched by actor-turned-politician Vijay in 2024 and will make its electoral debut in the polls due in a few months.

The visitors allegedly parked their vehicles haphazardly in the nearby residential areas, blocking entrances to houses and restricting free movement for the local people.

Irked residents questioned the decision to put up barricades, alleging public roads were blocked without official approval, and they faced inconvenience as several avenues in the locality were completely shut.

'Who gave you rights?'

“We pay taxes. Who gave you the right to block our streets? We can’t even walk freely in front of our own houses. Eleven avenues are blocked. How are we supposed to live here?” an angry resident asked while speaking to The Federal.

Those protesters claimed that even the police had acknowledged that nobody had the right to hinder public roads.

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One resident said they were facing such problems even before the TVK made a formal entry into electoral politics.

A resident pointed out that the problems had begun even before TVK’s formal entry into electoral politics. It was alleged that thousands of vehicles, including four-wheelers and two-wheelers, entered the area and were parked without any clear plan or instructions, leaving the local spaces crammed, causing problems for the people.

The angry local people said even the area's emergency access was affected because of too many vehicles and people.

'Not a political ground'

“This is a residential area, not a political ground. Events like this should not be held here. If you want to hold events, do it in a hall or in an open ground, not in residential streets,” another resident said.

Residents urged authorities and political parties to ensure better planning, obtain prior permissions, and make proper parking arrangements so that public roads and residential neighbourhoods are not disrupted by large political gatherings.

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The TVK conceded that the chaos was triggered by an unprecedented turnout for the forms.

It may be mentioned here that the party's organisational capacity came under scrutiny following a tragic stampede at a political rally it held in Karur in central Tamil Nadu in September last year, resulting in deaths of 41 people, including women and children, and injuries to many more.

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